Mr. CATHCART WASONasked whether, in view of the fact that in many places in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland it will be impossible for deposit contributors to obtain, medical benefits under the Insurance Bill, he will allow the Local Government Board for Scotland power to apportion that part of the Scottish money available for the Highlands and Islands for more general purposes than sanatoria, such as increase of medical service, Grants-in-Aid of travelling expenses of medical men attending insured persons, provision of hospital accommodation, and removal of insanitary conditions in places where the public health rate is at the legal maximum?
Mr. McKINNON WOODI trust it may prove to be possible to provide medical benefit for all deposit contributors, and 1259 some of the expenses which my hon. Friend specifies could under the Bill as it stands be properly incurred by the local health committees. I fear it would not be possible to provide for the application of funds contributed under the Bill directly to the removal of insanitary conditions.
§ Mr. MUNRO-FERGUSONMay I ask whether he will consider the representations made by the authorities in Ross-shire and elsewhere showing that the present scheme, however applicable to the rest of Scotland, is certainly not applicable to the highland districts?