§ SIR J. LENG (Dundee)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the War Department has restricted the selection of medical and surgical examiners for the competitive examinations for admission to the Army Medical Service solely to the Examiners of the two London Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons; whether it is the case that a large proportion of the Army Medical Staff, including the Director General and four out of the Surgeon Major Generals, hold as their only qualification Scottish diplomas; and why a monopoly is now to be conferred on the London Medical Schools, to the detriment, of the Medical Corporations in Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom?
§ * MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANNo restriction is intended as to the Medical Schools from which examiners shall be selected; but, the first list of examiners under the new system has been selected from the Colleges named, partly on the ground of accessibility. The appointments are for four years only, and when a vacancy occurs it will be for consideration whether the new examiner shall be taken from the Scottish or Irish Colleges. I am informed that rather less than one-third of the Army medical officers hold Scottish diplomas.
§ DR. MACGREGOR (Inverness-shire)I wish to ask whether the action of the right hon. Gentleman's Department is not calculated to throw a slight on the Scottish Medical Corporations?
§ * MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANNo, Sir.
§ DR. MACGREGORThe restriction is for four years. Is not this an instance of the centralisation of affairs in London to the detriment of the Kingdom at large, especially that part of it called Scotland?
§ * MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANIt is equally to the detriment of that part of the Kingdom called Ireland. There is no intention to do anything of the kind suggested.
§ DR. MACGREGORCan the right hon. Gentleman explain his reasons for this unpatriotic course?
§ [No answer was given.]
§ DR. MACGREGORI beg to give notice that I shall call attention to the question on the Estimates.