HC Deb 30 November 1911 vol 32 cc743-7

(1) A local health committee shall be constituted for every county and county borough.

(2) Such number of the members of the committee as the Insurance Commissioners, having regard to the circumstances of each case, determine, but in no case less than twenty-four or more than forty-eight, shall be appointed in such manner as may be prescribed by regulations of the Insurance Commissioners so as to secure representation of the insured persons resident in the county or county borough who are members of approved societies, and who are deposit contributors in proportion, as nearly as may be, to their respective numbers; and the regulations so made shall provide for conferring on the approved societies which have members resident in the county or county borough the power of appointing the representatives of such members, and, where an association of the deposit contributors resident in the county or county borough has been formed under such regulations as aforesaid for conferring on such association the power of appointing the representatives of the deposit contributors.

(3) Of the remaining members of the committee, who shall not exceed two-thirds of the number of members appointed in manner aforesaid, one-half shall be appointed by the council of the county or county borough, two shall be elected in manner provided by regulations made by the Insurance Commissioners, either by any association of duly qualified medical practitioners resident in the county or county borough which may have been formed for that purpose under such regulations, or, if no such association has been formed, by such practitioners, and the others shall be appointed by the Insurance Commissioners:

Provided that the members appointed by the council of the county or county borough shall consist wholly or in part of members of the local sanitary authorities and two at least shall be women, and of the members appointed by the Insurance Commissioners one at least shall be a duly qualified medical practitioner and two at least shall be women.

(4) The Insurance Commissioners may, where any part of the cost of medical benefit or sanatorium benefit is defrayed by the council of the county or county borough, increase the representation of the council and make a corresponding diminution in the representation of the insured persons.

(5) The Insurance Commissioners may make regulations as to the appointment, quorum, term of office, and proceedings generally, of the committee, and the employment of officers and the provision of offices by the committee, including the use by the committee, with or without payment, of any offices of a local authority, but subject to the consent of such authority, and any such regulations may provide for the appointment of auxiliary committees, and for the powers and duties of any such auxiliary committee:

Provided that the regulations so made shall require the local health committee of every county (except in cases where, owing to special circumstances, the Commissioners consider it unnecessary) within six months after the commencement of this Act to prepare and submit for approval to the Commissioners a scheme for the appointment of an auxiliary committee for the county and prescribing the area to be assigned to each such committee, and in particular the scheme shall provide for the appointment of an auxiliary committee for each borough (including the City of London and a metropolitan borough) within the county having a population of not less than ten thousand, and for each urban district within the county with a population of twenty thousand, unless the local health committee consider it expedient in the case of any such borough or urban district that there should not be a separate auxiliary committee for the borough or urban district, or that any adjoining areas should be grouped with such borough or urban district for the purpose of the appointment of an auxiliary committee.

(6) Any local health committee may, and shall if so required by the Insurance Commissioners, combine with any one or more other local health committees for all or any of the purposes of this Part of this Act, and where they so combine the provisions of this Part of this Act shall apply with such necessary adaptations as may be prescribed.

Amendments made: In Sub-section (2), at the beginning insert the words "Every such committee shall consist of."

Leave out the word "the" ["number of the members."]

Leave out the words "of the committee" ["numbers of the committee"].

Leave out the words "twenty-four," and insert instead thereof the word "forty."

Leave out the words "forty-eight," and insert instead thereof the words "eighty of whom—

(a) three-fifths."

Leave out the words "and the regulations so made."

In Sub-section (3), leave out the word "two" ["two shall be elected"], and insert instead thereof "(c) two members."

Leave out the words "and the others," and insert instead thereof, (d) one member or, if the total number of the committee is sixty or upwards, two members, or if the total number of the committee is eighty, three members, shall be duly qualified medical practitioners appointed by council of the county or county borough; (e) the remaining members.

Leave out the words "the members appointed by the council of the county or county borough shall consist wholly or in part of the members of the local sanitary authorities and," and insert instead thereof—

  1. (i) The regulations with respect to the appointment of members to represent insured persons shall provide for conferring on the approved societies which have members resident in the county or county borough the power of appointing the representatives of such members, and, where an association of the deposit contributors resident in the county or county borough has been formed under such regulations as aforesaid, for conferring on such association the power of appointing the representatives of the deposit contributors;
  2. (ii) Of the members appointed by the council of the county or county borough.

In Sub-section (3), leave out the word "office" ["term of office"], and insert instead thereof the words "and rotation of members."

After the word "generally" ["and proceedings generally of the Committee"], and insert instead thereof the words "including the appointment of sub-committees consisting wholly or partly of members of the committee."

Leave out the word "appointment" ["for the appointment of"], and insert instead thereof the word "constitution."

Leave out the word "auxiliary" and insert instead thereof the word "district."

Leave out the words "the powers and duties of any such auxiliary committee," and insert instead thereof the words, "apportioning amongst the several district committees any of the powers and duties of the local health committee and regulating the relations of district committees to the local health committee and to one another."

After the word "prepare" ["to prepare and submit"], insert the words "after consultation with the county council."

Leave out the words "an auxiliary committee," and insert instead thereof the words "district committees."

Leave out the word "unless" ["unless the local health committee"], and insert instead thereof the words "but if."

After the word "Committee," insert "or on appeal the Insurance Commissioners."

Leave out the words "that there should not be a separate auxiliary committee for the borough or urban district or that."

Leave out the word "auxiliary," and insert instead thereof the word "district."

Leave out the word "should," and insert instead thereof the word "may."

Leave out the word "auxiliary," and insert instead thereof the word "district."—[Mr. Lloyd George.]