Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898

Power of county councils as to county infirmaries and fever hospitals.

6 & 7 Will. 4. c. 116.

59 & 60 Vict. c. xxii.

15.(1) A county council shall annually contribute towards any county infirmary or fever hospital which is situate in their county or to which, though situate elsewhere, they are by statute empowered to contribute, and to any officer thereof, a sum not less than was so contributed out of the county cess in the standard financial year, or any less minimum which the Local Government Board sanction.

(2) Every such county infirmary shall be managed, and the admission of patients thereto controlled, by a joint committee appointed triennially, consisting of such number of members of the corporation of the “governor or governesses of the infirmary” appointed by the corporation, and of such number of members of the county council or other persons appointed by the council, as the Local Government Board from time to time fix in the case of each infirmary, having regard as well to the proportion of the contribution out of the county cess or the poor rate towards the building and maintenance of the infirmary as to all the other circumstances of the case; and all powers vested in the corporation in relation to the infirmary shall be exercised only by the said committee; and every member of the committee shall have the same power of recommendation as a governor.

(3) Where the councils of two or more counties contribute to the same county infirmary, each of those councils shall be represented on the said committee.

(4) The foregoing provisions with respect to the management of a county infirmary shall extend to every fever hospital which is vested in the corporation of the “president and assistants of the hospital.”

(5) Where a county infirmary or fever hospital is under the management of a governing body other than such corporation as above mentioned, the foregoing provisions of this section shall apply, with the necessary modifications, in like manner as if the governing body were the said corporation.

(6) A county council may, if they think fit, contribute towards the rebuilding or enlargement or erection on a new site of any county infirmary (whether such rebuilding, enlargement, or erection takes place after the passing of this Act, or is in course of completion at that passing), or towards the re-opening of a closed county infirmary, a sum not exceeding in the whole one-third of the sums actually received from private donations or subscriptions for such rebuilding, enlargement, erection, or re-opening, and the foregoing provisions with respect to the management of the infirmary shall apply accordingly.

(7) Where the boundary of a county for which an infirmary ar hospital has been provided is altered by or in pursuance of this Act, or where part of any such county is constituted a county borough, the contribution to be made to such infirmary or hospital shall be a subject of adjustment, and the Local Government Board in making such adjustment may provide for the representation of the council of any contributing county upon the said committee.

(8) Nothing in this Act shall deprive any existing officer of any infirmary or hospital to which this section applies of any privileges enjoyed by him under any Act, and such officer shall not be removed from his office except with the consent of the Local Government Board, but, subject as aforesaid, every officer of the hospital or infirmary may be appointed and removed by the committee appointed under this section.

(9) Any county council may, notwithstanding anything in any other Act, contribute to any such county infirmary or fever hospital as above in this section mentioned any amount [1] not exceeding the amount in that behalf mentioned in the Grand Juries Act, 1836.

(10) Any county councils may agree for the contribution by one council to the county infirmary or fever hospital of the other council, on such conditions as to the admission to the infirmary or hospital of patients from the county of the contributing council, and the representation of that council on the committee for managing the infirmary or hospital, as may be agreed upon. And in the case of the county of Cork the county council may contribute a portion of the amount mentioned in subsection nine of this section towards the maintenance of the North Cork Infirmary situate in the city of Cork upon such terms and conditions, and subject to such restrictions, as may be determined upon by the councils of the county of Cork and county borough of Cork.

(11) No ecclesiastical person shall in right of his dignity or office be entitled to be a governor or trustee of any such infirmary or fever hospital as aforesaid.

(12) This section shall not apply to the Waterford City and County Infirmary as regulated by the Waterford Infirmary Act, 1896.

[Sub-s. (13) rep. 8 Edw. 7. c. 49 (S.L.R.).]

[1 As to further contributions, see 2 Edw. 7. c. 38, s. 2.]