HC Deb 03 May 1905 vol 145 cc821-4
MR. SLOAN (Belfast, S.)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if any change has been made in the arrangement which permitted Dr. Kelly, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cloyne, to fit out at the public expense a vacant industrial school at Youghal for the reception of insane patients, and if Dr. Kelly is paid a capitation grant for each patient; whether he is aware that the patients are nursed by nuns who have had no previous training in such duties, that there is no resident medical superintendent, and that the medical cure of the patients is under the control of a visiting physician, who has had no previous training in the diseases of the insane, although visiting physicians have been allowed to die out in all the other Irish and British asylums; that the house built at Youghal for the resident medical superintendent is occupied by a chaplain whose chief duty is to look after the spiritual welfare of the nuns; that the Under-Secretary for Ireland has already remonstrated with the Bishop of Cloyne against these irregularities; if so, will he say whether they have the approval of the inspectors; and if he will take such steps as are necessary to restore the lunatics now in charge of the Bishop of Cloyne to proper supervision and control.

CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the desirability of postponing his Answer until the Question is made more intelligible? If it refers to the Bishop of Cloyne it cannot refer to Dr. Kelly, and vice versa.

THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. WALTER LONG,) Bristol, S.

The inaccuracy to which the hon. Member refers does not make it impossible to answer the Question.

CAPTAIN DONELAN

I hope the right hon. Gentleman will be as charitable to Questions from this side of the House.

MR. WALTER LONG

In reply to my hon. friend's Question of February 23rd† last, my right hon. friend the Member for Dover made a very full statement on this matter, which substantially covers the ground of the present Question. It is only necessary to repeat that the two points connected with the administration of this auxiliary asylum in regard to which the inspectors have raised objection are, first, the appointment of a visiting instead of a resident medical officer, and, secondly, the resolutions of the committee of management relieving the resident medical superintendent of the Cork Asylum from all responsibility for the discipline and domestic management of the auxiliary. In regard to the first, the consent of the Lord-Lieutenant to the appointment of a visiting medical officer has only been given as a tentative measure which will be open to reconsideration if the arrangement should † See (4) Debates, cxli.,1107. prove defective and as to the second, the committee have been informed that the resolutions are illegal, and have been called upon to correct the illegality..The Under-Secretary has made representations on the subject to Dr. Kelly, Bishop of Ross, who is a member of the committee. The capitation grant is payable to the county council.

MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.)

Can the right hon. Gentleman say where these lunatics were before they were brought to this asylum, and under what circumstances they were transferred?

* MR. T. W. RUSSELL (Tyrone, S.)

And are the patients confined in this auxiliary asylum the harmless insane?

MR. WALTER LONG

I believe so.

* MR. T. W. RUSSELL

Was not a clause put into the Local Government (Ireland) Act of 1889, the very object of which was that the harmless insane should be treated in such auxiliary asylums?

MR. WALTER LONG

Obviously I must refer to the clause before I answer that Question. And in order to reply to the hon. Member for East Mayo I must refer to the authorities on the spot.

MR. SLOAN

As the Bishop has been remonstrated with on this matter, does the Irish Executive intend to reconsider the decision come to?

MR. WALTER LONG

The arrangement has been consented to by the Lord-Lieutenant as a temporary one, and obviously I can make no announcement of a final decision by the Irish Executive until there has been time to judge the results of the experiment.

MR. SLOAN

Are you inquiring into it?

MR. WALTER LONG

It is the business of the Irish Executive to follow the operation.

CAPTAIN DONELAN

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the arrangements in connection with this auxiliary asylum were carried out by the Cork County Council, and have given complete satisfaction? Is he aware also that it is inaccurate to say that the nurses are untrained, seeing that some of them possess certificates?

MR. WALTER LONG

I must ask for notice of any further Question.