asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state the grounds on which the Letterkenny District Mental Hospital authorities were informed by his Department that attendants and nurses at present engaged in a temporary capacity must submit themselves for a competitive educational examination if they desire to have their names placed on a waiting list now in course of preparation; whether the persons concerned entered the service of the mental hospital as a result of competitive educational examinations; whether they have been efficiently performing their temporary duties for periods varying from six months to three years; whether most of them have, in fact, passed the preliminary examination of the General Nursing Council for the purpose of being appointed to permanent positions and are preparing for their final examinations; and whether he will, therefore, state the object of the instruction that they must again submit themselves to a further examination before having their names placed on the committee's waiting list.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Letterkenny District Mental Hospital.
Mr. Corish
In order to implement Government policy of enabling persons with approved service in the Army or auxiliary defence services during the emergency to compete for the post of attendant (male and female) in district mental hospitals instructions were issued by circular letter dated 18th December, 1945, to Letterkenny District Mental Hospital authority in conjunction with all other mental hospitals to proceed without delay towards the preparation of new waiting lists or panels (to replace all existing waiting lists or panels) of persons desirous of being appointed to the office of mental hospital attendant. At the same time, notification was conveyed to them that an extension in the upper age limit should be allowed to candidates who enlisted in the Army or auxiliary defence services during the period of the emergency. It was thus made compulsory on all persons who were not permanent attendants and who had not the requisite service in the Army or auxiliary defence services to compete for any further examination if they desired to have their names admitted to the new waiting list.
The temporary male and female attendants numbering 23 now employed in the Letterkenny Mental Hospital entered the service as the result of an examination and have carried out their duties satisfactorily, and four of the 23 have passed the preliminary examination of the General Nursing Council. All the temporary male attendants, except one, have had service in the Defence Services and with this one exception their names are being retained on the waiting list without further examination. As regards the female nurses, it has been ascertained that as none of the applicants for admission to the new waiting list which it was proposed to set up had service in the Defence Services the manager has decided to admit the 14 temporary female attendants to the list.