§ MR. D. SULLIVAN (Westmeath, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland what is the cause of the protracted delay in erecting the dispensary residence in Castletown, Geoghegan, County Westmeath; is he aware that a site for the doctor's residence was fixed on over a year ago; and that the poor people in the Castletown district have to walk over 12 miles when they require the services of the dispensary doctor; and whether the Local Government Board will put pressure on the Castletown dispensary committee to quickly put an end to this hardship?
MR. J. MORLEYI am informed by the Local Government Board that the delay referred to has been caused by the difficulty experienced by the Mullingar Guardians in procuring a site on terms satisfactory to the Dispensary Committee. A site was selected last year, but the rent demanded was deemed exorbitant by the Dispensary Committee. The Medical Officer resides at present at Castletown, where the new residence is proposed to be built, and, so I am informed, no hardship to the poor can therefore arise. However, I have requested the Local Government Board to communicate with the Board of Guardians on the subject.