§ MR. BLAKE. (Longford, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the general provisions of the Medical Charities Act of 1851 on the subject are interfered with; and, if so, how far by the late scale of fees which is understood to be applicable to tickets issued for medical relief to dispensary doctors; and will he explain why 1287 changes in this respect have been made in the old system.
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURThis question appears to refer to Article 7 of the Dispensary Rules. But that Article does not interfere with the provisions of the Medical Charities Act. On the 8th of March last the Local Government Board issued to the local authorities concerned a circular which explained the operation of Article 7. The Statute does not give a definition of a "poor person," and the Board think that the fee demanded by the doctor for his services is an important factor in deciding the question.