asked the Minister for Health if he is now in a position to sanction the proposed extension to the County Maternity Hospital in Trim, County Meath.

I would refer the Deputy to the reply which I gave to a similar question of his on the 2nd July, 1957. There has been no material alteration in the position since that date.

I should like to impress on the Minister the urgency of this matter which has been contemplated for the last 15 years. The hospital has only 12 beds which must provide for County Meath, a very large county. It is a very urgent matter and I would ask the Minister to have it expedited.

The Deputy is making a speech.

And getting on very nicely.

The Hospitals' Trust recently provided a very large sum of money to an English racecourse, but this matter has been in contemplation for a very long time.

I am afraid that the Deputy is mixing up the company which operates the sweepstakes and the income derived thereform. It is quite clear that unless public interest can be maintained in a certain race the income of the Hospitals' Trust will suffer very substantially.