MEDICAL BILL, 1924, FIRST STAGE.

Mr. McGILLIGAN

I beg leave to introduce a Bill "to authorise the General Council established by the Medical Acts to continue to exercise jurisdiction and authority under those Acts in respect of medical practitioners in Saorstát Eireann." As this Bill arises in peculiar circumstances, and as the passage of the Bill will necessarily have to be hastened, it may be advisable that I should make one or two remarks on it. The General Medical Council had been set up under the Medical Acts, and had been in operation here, and it was believed that its operations had been continued by the accumulated effect of the Articles of the Constitution and the Adaptation of Enactments Act passed early in the life of the Dáil. It has been found, however, that owing to certain action being taken on the other side the scope of the authority of the General Medical Council is believed to no longer extend to this country, and that fact, if it is now established, has this repercussion, that certain medical men registered or purported to be registered since 1922, may not in fact be legally registered; and in order to validate these people, and in order to continue the existence of the General Medical Council until such time as the medical profession here, in conjunction with the Government or under the supervision of the Government, have had time to establish a Council of their own, this Bill is necessary.

The effect of this matter and the contention raised about it by the English medical authorities were not raised here until recently; and as quickly as possible attempts were made to have the problem solved. It has been found, however, that the only reasonable approach in the circumstances is to continue the authority of the General Medical Council and the operation of the Medical Acts in the Saorstát for a temporary period. That period is limited by the Bill to one year, during which time it is believed there will be a chance, and there will certainly be an opportunity of considering the matter —of considering whether it ought to be possible to have a proper authority established for the country, either separate from or having full reciprocity with the other side or something less than full reciprocity. I should like to urge on the Dáil the urgency of this Bill. The Bill, if leave be given to introduce it, will be in the hands of Deputies almost immediately, and if it could be treated as a matter of urgency —and I put that to you, sir—it would be advisable to have the stages taken as quickly as possible in order to ensure the passage of the Bill before the Dáil rises. It will have to be presented to the Seanad in time to have their assent to it, if they wish to give it their assent, before they adjourn.

Mr. JOHNSON

I am not opposing the motion, but, of course, I think that it is rather too much to expect us to assent beforehand before we have seen the Bill, to giving facilities for a speedy passage. I have no doubt, from what I have heard, that, in view of the circumstances and the fact that the Minister has limited the period during which the operations of the Bill will be effective to one year, and in view of the emergency that it is intended to meet—I have no doubt that there will be no difficulty. But that depends upon the Bill when we see it. And I take it that it is the intention of the Minister, at any rate, to see that the Bill is passed substantially in the form in which he introduced it, and that it is not his intention to accept amendments extending the period and extending the operation of the Bill.

Professor THRIFT

I wish to ask a question in order to prevent any misapprehension being possibly formed owing to certain words used by the Minister. I do not think that he intended that a certain impression should get abroad as the result of a certain phrase that he made use of. I do not think that he meant to convey—and I should be glad if he makes it perfectly clear that I am right—that there was any necessity of a change being made in the present state of things. I think that all that he meant to convey was that by arranging for the period of one year there would be within that time an opportunity for considering the best way of arranging matters in the future, but that that would not necessarily involve any change in the present system, which, as he said, is really a system of reciprocity. I think it is very important before anything gets out, as this is merely a Bill for a limited period, that it should be made quite clear that the Bill does not necessarily involve any change in the existing circumstances. It is very important for those who propose to enter the medical profession that we should be quite clear upon that point.

Mr. McGILLIGAN

I am glad that Deputy Thrift has given me an opportunity of making clear what apparently had been put rather badly. The Bill is limited to a year. It may be continued by Act of the Oireachtas after that, and, even limited as it is, it ought not be taken to have the meaning that after a year there will necessarily be a change from the present situation. There is no such compulsion. It only means that the period of twelve months is granted so that the matter should be enquired into to see if it is possible to continue the present arrangement. If it is decided to continue the present arrangement, a Bill for that purpose can be passed through the Oireachtas, and the present arrangement can continue. The Bill is a temporary Bill to meet an emergency.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 16 Jul 1924