I raised this question on several occasions, and each year stated that I criticised the amount included in this Estimate as given to the hospitals, but not because I objected to the sums given to them. What I objected to was the fact that these hospitals, and these hospitals only, were selected for help out of State funds. I emphasised in previous years, and I will not go over it at length now, that, as far as Deputies on this side of the House were aware, the hospitals had been doing good work and had given very considerable service to the public. On this side of the House no one wishes to detract from the services the hospitals have given, or the credit that is due to them for such services. But we objected before, and we still object, to a certain number of hospitals being selected when similar institutions in the City of Dublin, and all over the country, that are doing equally good work are getting no grant of any kind.
Since these protests were first made the Estimate, as the Minister has stated, has been considerably reduced. I will not say that we are glad of that. It is a satisfactory thing inasmuch as it saves the State certain expenditure, but we are not glad to see any money taken from any institutions that are doing good work for the public, and such can be said of these institutions. I am glad that the State is being saved, but I would be more pleased if every other institution that is doing equally good work could be helped from State funds.
I have seen in the Press that objection has been taken to the proposed action of the Minister in reducing the grants given to certain institutions out of State funds because these hospitals and similar institutions have received aid from the hospitals sweepstake funds. I know that some of these hospitals have got out of the sweepstake funds amounts far in excess of anything that the State would ever be able to give them. They have got these funds through the action of the State and through the action of this House in allowing sweepstakes to be held. They got huge sums into their exchequers that were undreamt of three, four or five years ago. Why they should protest or object to the amount of money hitherto given to them by the State being withdrawn is to me not understandable. They are getting a favour. They had hitherto been getting a favour that was not extended to the general body of hospitals doing equally good work. They were in a very privileged position as far as the State was concerned, and, during last year, they have been placed in a much more favoured position as a result of State action, and got very considerable funds into their exchequers. Therefore, I do not see that they have a right to complain that the comparatively small sums the State did give as a privilege in recent years should be withdrawn. As far as one can see they are well provided for from other sources.
As long as the hospitals in the Estimate are placed in a privileged position, that does not bear comparison with similar institutions all over the country, and in the city of Dublin, I at any rate, will continue to protest against their continuance in that privileged position. I think the action already taken by the Minister in reducing the amount takes away considerably from the complaint we have to make. A reduction from £16,000 to £6,000 is considerable. The £6,000 is not much to complain of. It is not the amount but the privileged position of these hospitals that I protest against and, in so far as there is still an Estimate for £6,000 to be provided, so long as they are continued in that privileged position, naturally our protest, in a modified form, remains.