HC Deb 25 February 1908 vol 184 cc1556-7
COLONEL SEELY (Liverpool, Abercromby)

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War what steps His Majesty's Government propose to take in order to ensure the proper treatment of men invalided from the Army suffering from tuberculosis.

MR. HALDANE

I must refer my hon. and gallant friend to my Answer given to the hon. Member for Sunderland on the 18th instant. As my hon. and gallant friend is aware, special efforts are made to secure places for the invalids in civil hospitals, and a notification is sent to the medical officer of health of the town in which the soldier intends to reside.

COLONEL SEELY

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the great majority of cases of soldiers suffering from tuberculosis discharged from the Army no such places are found, and that they are discharged to their homes, not only to their great discomfort, but to the peril of the civil population? And are we to understand that no steps are to be taken in this matter?

MR. HALDANE

As I informed the hon. Member opposite the other day, we are quite aware that the case of the soldier suffering from tuberculosis is a hard case, but so is the case of the sailor, of the Post Office employee, and of other Government employees, and so is the case of the great mass of the civil population. The Government as a whole considered this question, and they came to the conclusion that it would not be permissible to deal with the soldier differentially.

COLONEL SEELY

Have the right hon. Gentleman and the Government considered that the case of the soldier is quite different from that of others, seeing that he is discharged from the Army at the end of seven years and cannot make provision to go into a civil place as in the case of other Government employees, who are enlisted practically for life.

MR. HALDANE

The same difficulty arises in other cases, and to deal with the soldier in this fashion would, in the opinion of the Government, be to treat the soldier differentially.

MR. SUMMERBELL (Sunderland)

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is not the fact that the Committee were unanimous in their recommendation that some provision should be made, and when the Committee's Report will be laid on the Table of the House?

MR. HALDANE

It is quite true that the Committee were unanimous, but, as I say, the Government has considered this question as a whole and from a wider point of view than that of the Army merely, and the principle involved is one that is so far-reaching that the Government are not prepared to adopt the recommendation.