§ MR. ROCHEI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state on what grounds the Local Government Board has refused to sanction the increase of £10 a year to £130 in the salary of Dr. Collins, the Protestant Medical Officer of Ballinasloe Union; whether he is aware that all the Catholic guardians are in favour of the proposed increase; and whether the Local Government Board, although withholding its sanction of this increase to an experienced Poor Law officer, has sanctioned initial salaries of larger amount for medical officers without Poor Law experience.
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe Board has no knowledge of the religious persuasions of Dr. Collins and the guardians. The Board refused to sanction the proposed increase of salary, because of the small amount of work recorded as having been performed in Dr. Collins' district, and in view of the fact that his salary was increased to its present amount so recently as 1902. The Board, however, expressed its willingness to consider any reasonable scale of salary which might be formulated by the guardians, and made applicable to the entire medical staff of the union. 801 Every case is considered on its merits, and higher initial salaries have only been allowed where they were warranted by circumstances.
§ MR. ROCHEWill the right hon. Gentleman inform the Local Government Board that Dr. Collins is a medical officer, and that the increase of the salary has been voted by Catholic guardians.
§ MR. FLAVINHow would the right hon. Gentleman like to have to live on 1130 a year?
§ [No Answer was returned.]