asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether he has given sanction to the proposal of the Meath County Board of Health to raise £800 by way of loan for the completion of the renovation of the County Hospital at Navan, and, if not, whether he will now give his sanction so as to allow the County Board to complete the work, and put the hospital in a proper state of repair.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS ORAL ANSWERS. - LOAN FOR RENOVATION OF NAVAN HOSPITAL.
A loan of £10,000 was originally sanctioned for improvements at the County Hospital, Navan. Application for tenders was invited, and the lowest tender received by the Board of Health was £20,900. An expenditure of this amount was considered excessive. The Board of Health decided upon certain omissions from the estimate, which reduced the cost of the improvements to be undertaken on the basis of the lowest tender received to a sum of £12,179 17s. 6d. I was satisfied that the efficiency of the hospital would not be interfered with to any great extent by the reduction in the estimate, and approval was given to the carrying out of the work, for which a further supplemental loan of £3,000 was sanctioned—a total expenditure of £13,000.
The Board of Health now propose to revert to the original proposal. In view of the heavy expenditure already incurred, I am not prepared to sanction a further loan of £8,000 for works that are not really essential to the efficiency of the institution, but consideration will be given to expenditure upon the proper lighting of the hospital if not covered by the loans already sanctioned.