asked the Minister for Finance in view of the fact that many members of the Hospitals Trust staff are living in very straitened circumstances and in view of the forthcoming sale of the property at Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 as the success of the national lottery put an end to the Hospitals Trust whether he will consider any of the following proposals: (1) the application of a part of the proceeds of the sale of the Hospitals Trust site to a fund to support those who lost their jobs in the Hospitals Trust, (2) whether he will apply a portion of the proceeds of the national lottery to the same end, (3) whether he will make representations to the national lottery company to see if full time or part time work would be available to former employees of the Hospitals Trust and whether preference would be given to such persons, and (4) whether he has any proposals to provide funds to enable the recommendations of the Labour Court to be implemented in respect of the former employees of the Hospitals Trust.
Written Answers. - Hospitals Trust Staff.
I do not accept the implication in the question that the subsequent success of the national lottery contributed in any way to the closure of Hospitals Trust (1940) Ltd.
The Ballsbridge property is owned by the Hospitals Trust Board. It would not be open to the board to divert any proceeds from the sale of this property to benefit former employees of Hospitals Trust (1940) Ltd. The Minister for Health has already indicated that the proceeds of the sale will be distributed eventually to support hospital and other health services.
Responsibility for the making of any payments to their former employees rests solely with Hospitals Trust (1940) Ltd. Consequently it would not be possible to provide Exchequer funds to finance implementation of the Labour Court's recommendations in respect of those former employees.
I do not favour the allocation of some of the proceeds of the national lottery to a fund for the benefit of former employees of the Hospitals Trust. Neither do I intend to make representations to the National Lottery Company seeking to influence their recruitment policy which is a matter for that company alone.