§ MR. M'CARTAN (Down, S)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) whether he can state the number of inmates in the Belfast District Lunatic Asylum, and also the limit of accommodation for patients there; (2) what is the number of lunatics in Belfast Workhouse; whether he is aware that the workhouse buildings have to be extended owing to the number of insane inmates; (3) what is the number of lunatics charged to Belfast 1702 District now in Ballymena Workhouse; (4) and whether he will take into consideration the desirability of having a now asylum built on a new site at Belfast for the accommodation of the Belfast lunatics, or the advisability of having the districts of Belfast and County Antrim re-united, and a commodious asylum built at Antrim, where a site of 100 acres has been already secured for the purpose?
MR. J. MORLEY(1) The total number of inmates in the Belfast District Lunatic Asylum is 594, and of these 368 are chargeable to the City of Belfast. The asylum at the present time has sleeping accommodation for 400 patients according to the scale of space laid down by the Board of Control. There is also day-room accommodation for 300 patients. (2) The number of lunatics at present in the Belfast Workhouse is 492, and the buildings are being extended to accommodate the insane lunatics. (3) One hundred and twelve lunatics, chargeable to the City of Belfast, are now in the Ballymena Workhouse. (4) With regard to the final paragraph, I understand that in May last the Board of Governors of the Belfast District Asylum decided to build a new asylum for the City, but that at their meeting in July the Governors, having regard, I believe, to the large expenditure that would be involved, rescinded the resolution in reference to the building of a now asylum, and decided to appoint a committee to consider the requirements for the accommodation of the lunatics of the City of Belfast, and to report on the best means of providing such accommodation.
§ MR. W. JOHNSTONIs not the delay in building an asylum due to the introduction of the Home Rule Bill?
§ MR. M'CARTANThere is no foundation for the statement that the Bill has had any such effect.
MR. WOLFE (Belfast, E.)Has not a proposal been made to build a county asylum so as to keep the city and county lunatics separate? Are not the lunatics in the workhouse lunatics of a very mild kind?
MR. J. MORLEYI think a county asylum is required. As to the classification of the lunatics, I cannot say.
§ MR. SEXTON (Kerry, N.)In view of the admission that there are 294 people in the asylum more than there is accommodation for, and many are seeking admission, will the right hon. Gentleman, bearing in mind the great evils arising from the crowding together of all classes of lunatics, take immediate steps to put an end to this serious state of things?
§ MR. SEXTONAs to the lunatics in the Belfast workhouses, can they legally be detained there?