asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state why it was considered necessary to alter the statutory composition of the Central Midwives' Board by Order under the Adaptation of Enactments Act, 1922; whether an effect of the alteration is to deprive the local authorities charged with the supervision of midwives in their areas of their specific representation on the Board; whether none of the midwives' representatives recently appointed to the Board is a member or representative of any organisation consisting exclusively or largely of working midwives; and if he will state why recommendations of the Irish Nurses' Midwives' Union, which was duly consulted in accordance with the statutory requirement, were ignored in the appointment of midwives' representatives on the Board.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - COMPOSITION OF CENTRAL MIDWIVES' BOARD.
TOMAS MAC EOIN
The procedure for consultations prescribed in Section 3 (1) (a) of the Midwives (Ireland) Act, 1918, was found cumbrous and useless, and was consequently omitted in the Adaptation Order. The County Councils General Council was, however, consulted, and two of their nominees were appointed on the Central Midwives' Board. The Midwives' representatives recently appointed to the Central Midwives' Board were appointed after consultation with the recognised Nursing Associations in the Free State, but I am unable to state with what organisations those nominated are connected.
Does the Minister say that only what he calls the recognised Nursing Association was consulted?
The bodies consulted were the Jubilee Institute of Nurses, the College of Nursing, and the Irish Nurses and Midwives' Union.