TUBERCULOSIS PREVENTION (IRELAND) BILL. (Hansard, 17 February 1913)

LORD HERSCHELL

My Lords, the object of this Bill is to facilitate the operations of local bodies in dealing with tuberculosis in Ireland. Your Lordships will no doubt remember that the Tuberculosis Prevention (Ireland) Act of 1908 enabled county councils to erect hospitals, sanatoria, and dispensaries in order to be able to treat patients who were suffering from tuberculosis in the county, and under the Irish Public Health Acts the local sanitary authorities were given similar powers. The Insurance Act of last year made very extensive provisions for the treatment of this disease and largely increased the powers of county councils for this purpose, and this Bill seeks to place the county councils in a position to be able to take advantage of the provisions of the Insurance Act.

1364 The clauses are very few in number. The first clause is designed to remove a difficulty which has been found to exist. Under the Act of 1908, while the county councils were responsible for the cost of the creation of these institutions, the expenses of their maintenance fell upon the district councils. This provision of the Bill seeks to make the expenses both of maintenance and of creation fall upon the county councils, partly in view of the fact that under the Insurance Act the unit is the county and not the district, and partly that under that Act half of the cost will be paid by the Treasury. The second clause of the Bill is to a certain extent consequential on the first. It lays down that where more than one county council is responsible for the maintenance of these institutions, the councils concerned shall agree among themselves as to the proportion to be paid by each council towards this expense, and in cases where they fail to reach an agreement on this point the Local Government Board is to decide. Clause 3 makes it possible for local sanitary authorities, should they agree among themselves to do so, to transfer a hospital to the county council. This in all cases is subject to the consent of the Local Government Board. The two other clauses are really more of a minor nature. Clause 4 makes it clear that a person can be received in these institutions even though he may not be an inhabitant of the county which has charge of them; and the last clause is designed in the first instance to meet a particular case which has arisen in County Galway. The County Council of Galway are anxious to erect a dispensary in the grounds of the Galway Hospital, and the authorities of the hospital are also desirous that this should be done. The latter are, however, unable to give the necessary permission because the land is vested in the Local Government Board, and the Local Government Board again have no power to allow the land to be used for this purpose. This clause seeks to give them that power; but there is a provision which was inserted in the Bill in another place to safeguard any abuse which might be made of such a power.

Such, my Lords, are the provisions of the Bill in the shape in which it has reached your Lordships' House; but I may say that when it was introduced originally in another place it contained two clauses which made the notification of tuber- 1365 culosis compulsory. It was found, however, that these were of so contentious a nature that if they remained in the Bill there would have been very little chance of the measure coming into force this session. Somewhat unwillingly, therefore, they were struck out of the Bill, because it was felt to be all important that the measure should become law this session in order that county councils might be in a position to take advantage of the provisions of the Insurance Act. The Bill is now an agreed Bill, and it is as an agreed Bill that I ask your Lordships to give it a Second Reading this evening; and I venture to express the hope that in view of the desirability of its becoming law during the present session your Lordships may be disposed to let it pass through this House without amendment. I beg to move.