asked the Minister for Justice if he will state whether he has received a report of an attack on a band at Baltinglass on the night of the 25th April and of the damaging of a drum; and if he will state whether the persons who made the attack have been identified and if they have been charged with the offence.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Occurrences at Baltinglass.
asked the Minister for Justice if he will state if he has received a report that on the night of the 25th April, the electric light system at Baltinglass was interfered with and the town thrown into darkness; and if he will state whether the persons who committed this offence have been identified by the police and charged.
I propose to take questions Nos. 10, 11, 12 and 13 together. The answer in each case to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As no charges have yet been preferred in any of the four cases I do not think it proper to state whether any person has been identified as having taken part in the alleged offences.
Will the Minister say what is meant by saying "that no charges have yet been preferred"? Does that mean that no complaints have been made yet to the police?
That is not so, but complaints do not mean a charge.
Will the Minister state whether or not it is intended that charges will be preferred?
If the evidence is available, certainly.
As the Minister is aware that, so far as the two questions referring to Dublin are concerned, plenty of evidence is available, will he say how long more must elapse before charges will be made.
As the matter is pending I am not prepared to give any more information in the matter.
With regard to question No. 13 I should like to ask the Minister is he aware that there is a hospital in Baltinglass and if he is aware how serious it might have been had the doctor in charge of the hospital been conducting an operation at the time the lights were interfered with? The offence is a serious one apart from what I have said, but the fact of the lights going out in a hospital is a very serious matter indeed, and it is not necessary for me to stress how criminal such an action was. I look to the Minister to do everything in his power to bring the culprits responsible for that to justice.
It is being done.