§ MR. MACALEESE (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the 1351 Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that a misunderstanding, threatening to have serious consequences for the poor, is at present existing between the Monaghan Poor Law Guardians and the Local Government Board regarding the appointment of a doctor to the electoral divisions of Bragan, Derrygorry, and Shanmullagh, recently transferred from the Clogher to the Monaghan Union; and that the Guardians have appointed a temporary doctor for three months; whether, seeing that the Local Government Board insist that there is no vacancy, as Dr. Phillips holds the position of medical officer for the three divisions named, he will state when Dr. Phillips received this appointment, and by whom was he appointed; is he aware that Dr. Phillips resides in Aughnacloy, twelve miles or so of a rough mountainous country divided from one portion of the boundary of the divisions, entailing in many cases a journey of twenty-four miles upon persons requiring the services of the doctor; and that the Rev. P. Callan, the parish priest of the district, has written to the Local Government Board pointing out the extent to which the poor will be sufferers by the proposed plan, and respectfully asking to have the five units of Truagh erected into a dispensary district, with a resident medical officer; and will he endeavour to obtain the permission of the Local Government Board to this proposal.
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURThe Aughnacloy dispensary district of the Clogher Union, of which Dr. Phillips has been medical officer since the year 1888, formerly consisted of the three electoral divisions named in the first paragraph, together with the divisions of Aughnacloy and Tullyvar. By an Order of the Local Government Board, dated the 25th of October last, the former three divisions were transferred to the Monaghan Union, whilst the two latter divisions remained in the Clogher Union, and each of these groups of divisions was constituted a separate dispensary district, to continue, as heretofore, in charge of the medical officer, Dr. Phillips. As regards the third paragraph, the arrangements which previously existed with respect to medical attendance on the sick poor throughout these five divisions worked satisfactorily, and these arrangements, as stated, remain unaltered. The Board have been advised 1352 that Dr. Phillips continues to hold the medical officership of his former district, notwithstanding that portion of it has been transferred to the Monaghan Union and formed into a separate district, and the Board do not consider that sufficient grounds exist to warrant them in sanctioning the appointment of a second medical officer for the district, and thus place additional expense upon the ratepayers.
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURIn both.