§ MR. PATRICK CARVILL (Newry)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland—(1) if he is aware that the Newry Board of Guardians, having advertised for a trained hospital nurse with a certificate in midwifery, appointed to the office a spinster of 25 years of age, who admittedly had no training as a hospital nurse and was without the specified certificate in midwifery, and that the Local Government Board, with these facts clearly before it, confirmed the appointment; (2) whether it is the practice of the Local Government Board, before approving of an appointment made by a Board of Guardians, to see that the selected candidate has the required qualifications; (3) if, in view of the vital importance of the duties to be discharged, he will state 93 whether there was any neglect in this matter, and if not, what considerations weighed with the Local Government Board in ratifying the appointment; (4) if the Local Government Board informed itself of the fact that another candidate, Mrs. French, had the required training and certificate, and that the accepted and unqualified candidate is a Protestant, while the rejected and fully qualified one is a Catholic; (5) whether the competence of the person appointed has since become a subject of correspondence between the Local Government Board and the Board of Guardians; and (6) whether, instead of allowing this nurse to hold the appointment and to go to some institution where she may become properly qualified, as appears to be contemplated, either the Board of Guardians will be asked to insist on her resignation, or failing that, the Local Government Board will consider the propriety of ordering her removal from office and the immediate appointment of the properly qualified candidate?
MR. JOHN MORLEYThe Local Government Board confirmed the election of Miss Fenn to the office in question, on consideration of the replies to the usual queries and of her testimonials, which showed she had had considerable experience both in nursing and midwifery. The reply to the second paragraph is in the affirmative. There was no neglect in this instance, the Board having satisfied themselves that the person elected was competent to discharge the duties of the office. The Board have no information as to the qualifications or religious views of the other candidates. It would appear Miss Fenn is a Protestant. The Medical Officer of the workhouse suggested to the Guardians the desirability of her receiving some further training in midwifery, but the Guardians decided not to consider the matter further. The Local Government Board see no reason for requiring this nurse to resign her position, as they have no grounds for believing she is not qualified to discharge her duties. There is no obligation on a Board of Guardians to insist that nurses shall possess certificates in midwifery, and as a matter of fact very few workhouse nurses possess this qualification.