asked the Attorney-General whether a decision has been made on the question of a prosecution of Mr. Kevin Agnew in respect of his speech at Londonderry on 1st February 1976.

Yes. The Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland has considered the evidence concerning Mr. Agnew's speech and he has consulted fully with me upon the application of the criminal law to the words used by Mr. Agnew. Whilst I most strongly deplore some of the extracts from Mr. Agnew's speech and the extravagant language used by him, the Director does not propose to initiate any criminal proceedings and I entirely agree with this decision.