asked the Minister for Health if he will state (a) the date on which he received a recommendation from the Manager of Grangegorman and Portrane Mental Hospitals for an increase in salaries for the nursing staff in both hospitals; (b) the nature of the recommendation, and (c) when sanction will be granted for this recommendation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mental Hospital Nurses.
I received a recommendation from the Manager, Grangegorman District Mental Hospital authority on the 22nd June, 1948, for an increase in the salaries of the nursing and attendant staff in the Grangegorman and Portrane Mental Hospitals. The recommendation was that, as from 1st January, 1948, the basic salaries of the nursing staff should be increased by £20 a year, that a somewhat smaller increase should be granted in the basic salaries of the attendant staff, that cash paid in lieu of rations should be increased by 6d. per day, and that the valuation of rations for pension purposes should be raised from £45 a year to £55 a year. A decision in the matter will be given at an early date.
Is the Minister aware that these matters were agreed upon at a conference between the manager and the trade unions at the beginning of May, that an application for sanction of the increases was sent to the Department on the 19th June and that, when I made inquiries on the 3rd July in the Department, I was informed that no such application was received although a letter of acknowledgment was at that time in the hands of the chief clerk? Is it not the case that over a period repeated applications have been made pressing for a decision because of the fact that two separate applications were made and that if simultaneous decisions were not given it would involve a great deal of accountancy and book-keeping which might be avoided by sanction being given at the one time? We are still awaiting sanction for these increases.
If sanction were not given for the second increase until a later date, it would not cause any great difficulty in regard to bookkeeping. We have to bear in mind, in considering sanction of an application of this kind, that we are dealing with public money and that we must be very careful to give mature consideration to such application. I can assure the Deputy that we will come to our decision as soon as we can equitably do so, having regard both to our responsibilities to the public and to the employees in whom he is so interested.
Is the Minister aware that three months have elapsed since this matter was agreed upon and that portion of the delay has been attributed to the fact that applications are being received from provincial mental hospitals and that the Grangegorman application has been delayed by being considered in relation to the general applications? Is he aware that on previous occasions Grangegorman was always dealt with separately? A fortnight was lost while his officials were looking for the application in his own Department.
So far as my Department was concerned the application was received on the 22nd June.
And on the 3rd July it was not still traced by the Department.