§ (1) Sickness benefit, disablement benefit, and maternity benefit shall be administered, in the case of insured persons who are members of an approved society, by and through the society, and in other cases by and through the local health 679 committees; medical and sanatorium benefits shall in all cases be administered by and through local health committees.
§ (2) Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, an approved society may, with the consent of the Insurance Commissioners, provide for the application of its existing rules or make new rules with regard to the manner and time of paying or distributing and mode of calculating benefits, suspension of benefits, notices and proof of disease or disablement, behaviour during disease or disablement, and the visiting of sick or disabled per sons, and for the infliction and enforcement of penalties (whether by way of fines or suspension of benefits or otherwise) in the case of any member being an insured person who is guilty of any breach of any such rule, or of any imposition or attempted imposition in respect of any benefit under this Part of this Act, and may from time to time with the like consent alter or repeal any such rules; but—
- (a) no fine imposed under any such rule shall exceed ten shillings or, in the case of repeated breaches of rules, twenty shillings;
- (b) no such rule shall provide for the suspension of any benefit for a period exceeding one year;
- (c) every such rule relating to the visiting of insured persons shall provide that women shall not be visited otherwise than by women;
- (d) every such rule relating to behaviour during disease or disablement shall be in the prescribed form;
- (e) no such rule shall prescribe any penalty, nor shall any insured person be subject to any penalty, whether by suspension of benefit or otherwise, on account of the refusal by any such person to submit to a surgical operation, or vaccination, or inoculation of any kind;
- (f) No such rule shall provide for withholding maternity benefit from the wife of an insured person except the said wife has herself been guilty of breach of such, or attempted imposition as aforesaid.
§ (3) The local health committee shall, subject to the approval of the Insurance Commissioners, make rules in respect of any of the matters mentioned in the last preceding Sub-section, for the purpose of regulating the payment or distribution of benefits administered by the committee:
680§ Provided that no such rule relating to anything to be done by, to, or through the Post Office shall be made without the consent of the Postmaster-General.
§ (4) Where, under any such rule as aforesaid, payment of sickness or disablement benefit is suspended on the ground that the disease or disablement has been caused by the misconduct of the person claiming the benefit, such person shall nevertheless continue to be entitled to medical benefit.
§ (5) Where under any Act regulating the constitution of an approved society the rules of the society are required to be registered, any rules approved under this Section by the Insurance Commissioners shall forthwith be registered, but till so registered shall have effect as if they had been duly registered.
§ Amendments made: In Sub-section (1), after the word "society" ["through the society"], insert the words "or a branch thereof."
§ After the word "through" ["by and through"], insert the word "the."
§ After the word "Committees," insert the words "additional benefits shall be administered by the society or branch of which the persons entitled thereto are members, except where such benefits are in the nature of medical benefits, in which case they shall be administered by and through the local health committees."
§ In Sub-section (2), paragraph (c), after the word "persons," insert the words "by visitors appointed by the society."
§ In paragraph (e), at the end, insert the words "unless such refusal in the case of a surgical operation of a minor character is considered by the society, or on appeal the Insurance Commissioners, unreasonable."
§ In paragraph (f), leave out the words "withholding maternity benefit from the wife of an insured person, except the said wife has herself been guilty of breach of such, or attempted imposition as aforesaid," and insert instead thereof the words, "inflicting as a penalty for breach of rules or imposition or attempted imposition on the part of an insured person suspension of maternity benefit in respect of the confinement of his wife, where his wife has not herself been guilty of any such breach, imposition, or attempted imposition."
§ In Sub-section (3), leave out the words "for the purpose of regulating the pay- 681 ment or distribution of benefits administered by the Committee," and insert instead thereof the words "with regard to the administration of benefits by the Committee."
§ In Sub-section (4), leave out the words "nevertheless continue to be entitled," and insert instead thereof the words "not thereby becomes disentitled."
§ In Sub-section (5), after the word "of" ["constitution of"] insert the words "a society which becomes."—[Mr. Lloyd George.]