§ MR. M. M'CARTAN (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, (1) with reference to the sworn inquiry held in connection with the admission and treatment of Hanna Bella Craig, who died in Belfast Workhouse, whether he is aware that on her admission she was sent to the infirmary, and that on the same night she was ordered to be removed to the lunatic department without any previous physical examination; that when lying in a faint on the floor at midnight she was lifted by two attendants, and while yet unconscious was bound in a straitwaistcoat, and with no covering save her underdress and a single blanket round her shoulders, was obliged to walk barefooted down three flights of steps; that she was then carried in the open air with a single blanket spread over her, a distance of a quarter of a mile, to the lunatic department on an October night; and that she died within a week, and on the night of her death was held down in bed by seven persons, including pauper attendants; (2) whether he has been informed that one of the pauper attendants admitted on oath that she had been upwards of 150 times in gaol; and (3) whether any steps have been taken to prevent such treatment from being given to paupers in future.
THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. JOHN MORLEY,) New-castle-upon-TyneThe statements in the first and second paragraphs are generally correct except that the girl was covered with a second blanket before her removal to the lunatic department. The Guardians have, since the death of the 791 girl, increased the nursing staff by 10, making the total number of paid nurses 72, and have also directed that no patient shall be transferred from any department of the workhouse to the lunatic ward without consultation by the medical staff.