asked the Taoiseach whether further consideration has been given to the establishment of a Ministry of Health under a separate Minister, and whether any decision has been arrived at.
Ceisteanna. — Questions. Oral Answers. - Ministry of Health.
In reply to a Parliamentary question relative to the setting up of a separate Department of Public Health addressed to me on the 14th March last by Deputy Cosgrave, I stated that there was a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Local Government and Public Health who devoted himself almost exclusively to public health and associated matters and I added that the question of putting the functions of the Parliamentary Secretary on a more formal basis with more clearly defined responsibility was under consideration. Following this consideration an Order was made by the Government on the 31st March, 1944, under the provisions of Section 9 of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1939, entitled the Local Government and Public Health (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order, 1944, delegating to Dr. F. C. Ward, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Local Government and Public Health, certain powers, duties and functions of the Minister under the Public Health Acts, the Public Assistance Acts, the National Health Insurance Acts, etc., etc.
In consequence of the dissolution of Dáil Éireann in June last the Order made on the 31st March lapsed and a new delegation Order to the same effect was made by the Government on the 15th June, 1944. This Order, which was duly presented to both Houses of the Oireachtas, has been published in the series of Statutory Rules and Orders (it is number 188 of 1944) and may be obtained at the Government Publications Sale Office.
In connection with this matter I would remind the Deputy that many of the public health services carried out by local authorities and supervised by the Department of Local Government and Public Health, are closely interlinked with questions of general local administration and it would be a matter of considerable practical difficulty to separate them completely. If this separation were to be effected a considerable interval of time would be required to enable the necessary preparatory work to be done, and the delegation of functions already made would in any event be a necessary intermediate step. Should it appear later on that there are strong grounds for going further in the direction of the separate administration of public health services this can be considered, but the Government is satisfied that the new arrangements made this year should at any rate be given a full trial before any further action is contemplated. Experience may, in fact, prove that these are in the long run the better arrangements.