HC Deb 28 February 1902 vol 104 cc13-4
CAPTAIN BOWLES (Middlesex, Enfield)

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether the instructions given to the auditors with respect to payment of fees by a coroner to medical witnesses, under Section 22 of the Coroners' Act, 1887, necessitate the disallowance of all fees to medical practitioners who act gratuitously as medical officers at a hospital infirmary or other medical institution. And whether, if a medical officer attaches himself to act gratuitously at any such institution, he is entitled to be paid the fees specified in the said Section 22 of the said Statute.

THE SECRETARY TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. GRANT LAWSON,) Yorkshire, N.R., Thirsk

The Local Government Board have not given any instructions to district auditors on the subject referred to by my hon. friend. It rests with the Auditor in any case to decide whether a particular payment is illegal, and therefore one to be disallowed. The Board's jurisdiction only arises on an appeal from his decision. A question of this sort was considered in 1898 by the Board and Secretary of State. The view taken was that the medical officer of an institution to which the section applied would not be entitled to the fee in question, although he received no pay for performing the duty of medical officer.

CAPTAIN BOWLES

Was there any change in the procedure in 1898?

MR. GRANT LAWSON

The question had not arisen before 1898, and that was the decision then come to.