asked the Minister for Health if he will state whether he has received correspondence from the Cork Fever Hospital Committee regarding the provision of finance for the North Fever Hospital, Cork; whether he has replied to this, and if he will now indicate the position of the committee regarding the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cork Fever Hospital.
I have received correspondence from the Cork Fever Hospital Committee regarding the finance of the fever hospital at Richmond Hill, Cork.
The provision of finance for this hospital is governed by the Cork Fever Hospital Act, 1935, as amended. Under that Act, the authorities of the hospital handed over to the Cork Corporation funds which it had accumulated in earlier years and the Act provided that the Cork Corporation should finance the running of the hospital, while it remained in being, and also the building of the new fever hospital in Cork, visualised in the Act, out of the accumulated funds referred to, out of grants from the Hospitals Trust Fund and, in so far as funds from these two sources proved insufficient, out of corporation funds.
The decision, in which Cork Corporation concurred, taken last year to utilise as an orthopædic hospital the premises of the new fever hospital then and now in course of erection involves a material change in the financial arrangements set out in the Cork Fever Hospital Acts and the changes to be proposed to the Oireachtas in an amending Bill are under consideration.
I understand that the present financial difficulty of the Richmond Hill Hospital is due mainly to the decision of Cork Corporation to terminate, as from 30th September last, a monthly payment of £500 to the hospital on account of its expenses. In July last, in view of the altered circumstances arising out of the alternative use decided on for the new fever hospital premises, I made certain suggestions to the Cork Corporation in regard to the financing of the Richmond Hill Hospital. These were considered by the authorities of the last mentioned hospital, and in a letter addressed to the Cork City Manager on 22nd November, they expressed the view that my proposals were impracticable. On the same date they invited me to make a determination in accordance with Section 9 of the Cork Fever Hospital Act, 1935, in respect of the financial year 1950/51, in default of agreement between the hospital authorities and Cork Corporation. I did not hear further from Cork Corporation in regard to the matter until 17th inst.
Meanwhile, on the 16th inst., I had written to Cork Corporation agreeing to a final payment from the Hospitals Trust Fund to Cork Corporation in recoupment of sums paid by the corporation to the hospital in respect of the period up to 31st March, 1948. I received no application from Cork Corporation for recoupment from the Hospitals Trust Fund of any moneys paid by the corporation in respect of periods subsequent to that date, and I asked the corporation, in the letter referred to, the position regarding payments made by it since to the hospital, and invited any claim the corporation may have for recoupment.
I have, in the light of the Cork Corporation's letter received on 17th inst., made the determination requested by the fever hospital authorities, and have notified these authorities and the Cork Corporation accordingly.