I move that this Bill be read a Second Time. The object of this Bill is to amend the Public Hospitals Act of 1933 in two respects, one by constituting the National Hospital trustees — that is, the present trustees — a body corporate under the name of the Hospitals Trust Board, and the other by conferring powers on the board in relation to providing office accommodation for sweepstake committees.
The National Hospital trustees hold and manage the Hospitals Trust Fund to the credit of which all moneys paid or payable to the trustees in accordance with the Public Hospitals Act, 1933, are to be placed. Disbursements out of the fund are made by the trustees under the direction of the Minister for Local Government and Public Health for the benefit of existing or proposed hospitals or nursing organisations, or organisations which afford medical, surgical or dental treatment, or for medical research.
So much of the capital of the fund as is for the time being not required for making disbursements is to be invested and kept invested by the trustees in securities approved by law for the investment of trust funds or authorised by order made by the Minister, with the concurrence of the Minister for Finance, for the investment of the Hospitals Trust Fund.
The trustees not being a body corporate hold such securities in their individual names. Changes in membership involve alterations in the registers of all the securities held. To avoid the administrative inconvenience that follows on any change in membership the trustees have asked that they be constituted a body corporate. Sections 2 to 6 of the Bill establishes a Hospitals Trust Board as such, appoints the existing trustees to be members of the board, and sets up the necessary machinery for the transfer of the Hospitals Trust Fund and the powers and functions of the trustees to the board.
The second purpose of the Bill, which is dealt with in Section 7, gives powers to the board in relation to providing office accommodation for sweepstake committees.
A sweepstake committee is appointed by the governing bodies of the hospitals that decide to hold a sweepstake. The sweepstakes have been carried out by Hospitals Trust, Ltd., who have experienced difficulties in the provision of suitable accommodation for the large staff that it has been necessary to employ. They were obliged to make temporary arrangements for the purpose, which, apart altogether from the cost involved, are regarded as unsatisfactory.
The Sweepstake Committee are of opinion that Hospitals Trust Ltd. could not properly be asked to provide a suitable new building for the holding of sweepstakes and they approached the National Hospital Trustees to undertake such a project. Under the law as it stands the trustees could not invest moneys of the Hospital Trust Fund for this purpose. They are, however, willing to do so provided they are duly authorised to adopt a scheme with the sanction of the Minister to enable them to acquire land and erect the necessary buildings which could be let to a sweepstakes committee or Hospitals Trust, Ltd.
It is confidently expected by the Sweepstakes Committee that in bringing together in one building all the staff engaged on the sweepstakes a substantial saving in administrative expenses will be effected. Under the existing law the amount that may be applied to paying expenses (other than tickets, commissions and other remuneration given in relation to the sale of tickets) is not to exceed 30 per cent of the money received from the sale of tickets. The expenses are much below this maximum, being under one-half the percentage permitted. By keeping the expenses as low as possible the amount of the Prize Fund is maintained as high as possible. The Sweepstake Committee in putting forward their proposal to the trustees felt that a central building if provided would increase the efficiency of the administration, and at the same time secure substantial economies.
The proposals embodied in the Bill have the approval of the various interested parties.
