asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he can state the local authorities which provide a special allowance to persons in receipt of home assistance who are certified to be suffering from tuberculosis; the average amount of the special allowance in each area, and the total expenditure of each local authority under this head for the financial year ended 31st March, 1934.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Home Assistance to Tuberculosis Sufferers.
As the allowances of home assistance granted to such persons are not segregated in the accounts of the Poor Law Authorities I am not in a position to give the information desired by the Deputy.
Arising out of the reply given by the Parliamentary Secretary, might I ask if it is possible to obtain the information by means of a questionnaire to the local authorities, asking for information from those authorities who are paying this special allowance in the case of patients suffering from tuberculosis?
It would, I presume, be possible to submit such a questionnaire to the local authorities, but I doubt if the information would be worth the expenditure of time that would be involved. The amount of assistance is determined by the Poor Law Authorities after consideration of all the relevant circumstances of the case, having regard, doubtless, to the health of the applicant which would be an important consideration, but there are many elements other than tuberculosis in the case of recipients of home assistance where it might be desirable to give a special allowance.
Is it not possible for the Department to ascertain even the number of the local authorities precisely and precisely where this amount is made available? Is it not easy to identify these allowances because tuberculosis is the only ailment for which special grants are made?
There is no knowledge in the Department of any special allowance for this disease.
But is it not possible for the Department to obtain the information, and does not the Parliamentary Secretary think that the Central Local Government Department of the country should be aware of what is being done?
Yes.