§ DR. KENNY (Cork, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Under what authority the Governors or Resident Medical Superintendent of the Richmond District Lunatic Asylum refuse to admit into that Institution poor persons properly certified as insane unless certified as dangerous lunatics by Divisional Magistrates of the City of Dublin; whether he is aware that there are at present in the wards of the North Dublin Union 66 female and 27 male lunatics, for whose proper treatment no arrangements exist within the union, or under the existing state of things can be made; and whether he will direct the Governors of the Richmond Asylum to receive, as far as accommodation will permit, all lunatics properly certified as such, whether violent, or dangerous, or otherwise?
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY (Colonel KING-HARMAN) (Kent, Isle of Thanet)(who replied) said: The practice with regard to Richmond Asylum appears to be to receive all lunatics, so far as accommodation permits, who, in the opinion of the Governors, are properly certified, and suitable cases, whether violent, dangerous, or otherwise. One of the Inspectors of Lunatics reports, with respect to the lunatics in the North Dublin Union, that they are, for the most part, aged and inoffensive persons, who can with 883 due care be satisfactorily treated there, and that when necessity arises they are transferred to the Richmond Asylum.
§ DR. KENNYasked, if the right hon. and gallant Gentleman could say whether the Governors of the Richmond Lunatic Asylum actually refused to receive lunatics from the North Union, though they had been properly certified as lunatics by himself?
§ COLONEL KING-HARMANcould not say; but he would deal with the Question if the hon. Member put it down.
§ DR. KENNYgave Notice that, on going into Committee of Supply, he would call attention to the subject.