asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether he has received from the Wicklow Board of Health and Public Assistance repeated requests for information as to whether he is agreeable that the board's hospitalisation scheme is to be proceeded with; and, if so, what is the reason for withholding the information sought, and whether he is now in a position to reply to the board's inquiries and inform them of his attitude towards their hospitalisation scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wicklow Hospitalisation Scheme.
As regards the first part of the question the reply is in the affirmative. The proposals before the Department for new hospitals would require considerably more money for carrying them out than is available. I am not, therefore, in a position to indicate when approval will be given to the hospitalisation scheme proposed for Wicklow.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not consider it the duty of his Department to notify a public body regarding this, to avoid their having to send repeated applications for information refused to them by the Department?