asked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) whether there is any precedent for the recent amendment of the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions directing that salutes shall be fired from His Majesty's ships, forts, and batteries in honour of the Pope and his nuncios, internuncios, and legates met with at sea or arriving at or quitting any place in His Majesty's Dominions; and, further, if this direction is to be enforced in Northern Ireland;

(2) how and from what source commanding officers of His Majesty's ships and superintendents in charge of His Majesty's naval establishments are to obtain the information necessary as to the relative status of papal legates whom they are required to salute with the appropriate gunfire, in accordance with the recent amendment of the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions;

(3) if he is aware that in the recent amendment of the King's Regulations and Naval Instructions the Pope and his nuncios, internuncios, and legates are stated not to be entitled to military honours; and what ground there is for this restriction in view of the direction contained in the amended regulations that these persons must receive salutes from British vessels and naval establishments appropriate to their rank?