asked the Minister for Justice if he will consider introducing proposals for legislation to amend the Public Charitable Hospitals (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1930, to permit county hospitals to participate in such sweeps and in the divisions of funds therefrom, and so to enable such hospitals to provide modern hospital equipment, etc.

As I understand the matter, county hospitals are already eligible to participate in sweepstakes organised under the Public Charitable Hospitals (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1930, provided that the conditions laid down by the Act are fulfilled. Several county hospitals appear, in fact, as prospective beneficiaries in the scheme for a sweepstake on the Grand National recently presented to me. Apart from that, however, I may say that I do not propose to introduce any amending legislation on the subject. The Principal Act was not, as the Deputy will remember, a Government measure.