§ MR. W. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the fever has broken out at Slivagh, in the Bangor district; whether Dr. Cleary has asked for canvas tents in which to place his patients, and will those tents he sent; whether there is any intention of throwing down the infected cabins and houses, and having them rebuilt, and have hospitals been provided in this locality; and whether the fever cases are increasing or decreasing?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR, Leeds, Central)The Medical Officer of the Bangor Dispensary district reports that there is no fever in that district at present. There were two mild cases of fever a fortnight ago, but they have completely recovered. The Medical Officer asked the late Board of Guardians at the time these two cases were under treatment to provide canvas tents, hut his request was not complied with, as the fever hospital is only four miles distant and was considered better suited for the reception of fever patients than tents would be. The Vice-Guardians have no power to pull down and rebuild houses in which cases of infectious disease have occurred. Government, in I884, gave a grant of X900 to the Belmullet Union for the erection of a fever hospital which accommodates twenty persons, and a second 1070 hospital is not required. The outbreak of fever, I am happy to state, is diminishing.