§ SIR J. FERGUSSON (Manchester, N. E.)To ask the Lord Advocate, considering that no statutory provision exists in Scotland for the grant of superannuation allowances to officers and servants of district and parochial lunatic asylums, while such provision has been made in respect of county and borough asylums in England, of district asylums in Ireland, and of chartered asylums in Scotland, as well as in other departments of the public service, and that the General Board of Commissioners in Lunacy in Scotland have repeatedly in their Reports pointed out that the absence of such provision is prejudicial to the interests of patients in the asylums, the Secretary for Scotland will consider the propriety of introducing a measure to place Scottish public asylum officials on a footing similar to those in English, Irish, and chartered Scottish asylums.
(Answered by Mr. A. Graham Murray.) The point will be considered in the 389 event of its being found possible and expedient to propose legislation for the Amendment of the Lunacy (Scotland) Acts, but the Secretary for Scotland is unable to come under any definite obligation on the subject at present.