§ MR. J. P. FARRELLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, in consequence of a change of residence of the medical officer of the Arvagh, county Cavan, dispensary district, patients living in the electoral division of Drumcarban have to go a distance of eight miles for medical advice and medicine, in many cases at a serious risk to life; and whether, seeing that this part of this division is contiguous to the dispensary district of Bellanagh, would it be possible to so divide the townlands of the electoral division as to place those lying beside Bellanagh on the list of townlands for the attention of the medical officer of that district, instead of, as at present, compelling the sick poor in them to travel eight and ten miles to get relief in the Arvagh dispensarv?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (MR. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralIt is the fact that the Medical Officer of the Arvagh District changed his residence some years ago to a place about three-quarters of a mile distant from his former abode; but his present residence is the one occupied by his predecessor, and is situated within the district. The medical officer's residence is about eight miles from the remotest townland in the Drumcarban electoral division, though this, I am informed, is not an unusual distance, and if found inconvenient for the sick poor the Local Government Board are prepared to consent to the establishment of a depot at the Drumcarban end of the district if the Guardians should so desire. The Board are debarred by statute from subdividing an electoral division as suggested in the Question.