asked the Minister for Health if funds arising from the sale of the Irish Hospitals Trust lands and buildings will be used to provide a more satisfactory redundancy settlement for the company's employees.
80.
Written Answers. - Irish Sweepstakes Site (Dublin)
22.
asked the Minister for Finance if he intends to dispose of the Irish Sweepstake site at Ballsbridge, Dublin, if so, if he intends to distribute any of the proceeds of the sale to the staff of the Sweepstake many of whom have received only relatively small sums of redundancy money after a lifetime of service to the company, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 80 together.
The site and premises at 20 Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, are owned by the Hospitals' Trust Board and were leased to a private company, Hospitals' Trust (1940) Limited to use as its headquarters for operating sweepstakes. It had been obvious for a number of years past that sweepstakes were ceasing to be viable, largely because of the growth of State lotteries in the North American continent. It had also become evident that the Ballsbridge premises were too large for the reducing level of sweepstakes activity.
In these circumstances and after negotiations extending over a number of years, the Hospitals' Trust Board agreed in December 1986 to compensate Hospitals' Trust (1940) Limited for the surrender of the unexpired portion of its leasehold interest. As the premises were no longer required for sweepstakes purposes the board decided to sell them. The proceeds of the sale will be distributed eventually to support hospital and other health services. It is not open to the Hospitals' Trust Board to divert any of the net proceeds of the sale to benefit the redundant sweepstakes workers. Neither is it open to me as Minister for Health to divert any such funds for this purpose or to instruct the board to do so.
While I have every sympathy with the employees of Hospitals' Trust (1940) Limited and indeed with any workers who experienced redundancy, I am afraid that in the light of these circumstances it is not open to me to use the proceeds of this sale to increase redundancy payments.