DR. FARQUHARSON (Aberdeenshire, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether it is true, as reported, that he is about to rescind the rule laid down by his predecessor, that County Medical Officers of Health in Scotland are debarred from engaging in private practice; and whether, as the present rule is believed to have improved the conditions of sanitary administration in Scotland, he will not interrupt its working until he has satisfied himself, by full inquiry, that the step which he proposes to take is not a retrograde one?
§ SIR G. TREVELYANClause 52 of the Local Government Act for Scotland enacts that the Council of every county shall appoint and pay a medical officer—
Who shall not hold any other appointment or engage in private practice without express written assent of the Council.Parliament thus lays down in the clearest terms that it is for the County Council to determine whether or not their medical officer is to be debarred from private practice. Parliament by the Probate Act appropriated £15,000 a year to be distributed among the counties of Scotland in aid of their medical expenditure. In distributing that grant the Scotch Office made it a condition that none of this grant should go to any county where the medical officer took private practice. In my opinion, it is not expedient for the Central Office to use the grant for the purpose of regulating a matter which Parliament clearly intended to be left to the discretion of the Local Body; and I have accordingly, in the distribution of the grant, ceased to exact any condition with regard to a medical officer taking private practice.
DR. FARQUHARSONI will take an early opportunity of drawing the attention of this House to the matter.
§ DR. MACGREGOR (Inverness-shire)Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that sanitary authorities are agreed it is undesirable that a public Medical Officer of Health should undertake private practice, for the reason that he is apt to be influenced by private considerations in the discharge of his public duties?
§ SIR G. TREVELYANYes, I agree with that view; but, as I have explained, I consider that the decision of the County Council on the point should be authoritative.