MR. O'BRIENasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether an investigation was recently held at Loughrea Workhouse by Dr. M'Cabe, Local Government Inspector, respecting a charge made by the Catholic chaplain, on the authority of a patient in the hospital, that one of the nurses had placed her hand on a dying man's mouth in order to hasten his death; whether the representatives of the press, though admitted during the rest of the investigation, were excluded from the examination in the hospital of the patient on whose authority the charge rested; whether the medical officer of the Workhouse, Dr. O'Donohoe, swore that a strait waiscoat was put on a dying man named Forde, four hours before his death, by the master, and that this treatment not merely accelerated but caused the death; whether he has any objection to lay the notes of evidence taken by Dr. M'Cabe upon the Table of the House; and, what steps are proposed to be taken in reference to the abuses therein disclosed?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, an investigation was held, as stated, at the Loughrea workhouse, and it was proved that the charge against a nurse of having put her hand on the mouth of a dying man, as if to hasten his end, was wholly without trustworthy foundation. The assertion was made by a patient who is suffering from senile mental decay, and is full of delusions. As a matter of fact he was not in the hospital at all at the time which he fixes for the alleged occurrence. With regard to the alleged exclusion of newspaper reporters during the examination of this patient in the hospital, it appears that Dr. M'Cabe did not visit the hospital to take evidence, but to test the patient's mental capacity, and he thought it more desirable that this should not be done before strangers. If he had found the man capable of giving evidence he would have allowed the reporters to be present. The facts as to Dr. O'Donohoe's evidence about a strait-waistcoat having been put on a sick man are as stated. It was done by the master on his own responsibility, and in consequence of this and other misconduct he has been dismissed by 1715 the Local Government Board. There is no objection to the minutes of Dr. M'Cabes's inquiry being laid on the Table.