§ 26. Mr. LANE-FOXasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the statement has been freely made that, under the National Insurance Act, health committees will be empowered to spend considerable sums on the building, equipment, and maintenance of hospitals, other than consumptive sanatoria, and that it is therefore very uncertain what private or voluntary subscriptions will henceforth be required; whether he realises that this statement is having the effect of checking the flow of individual subscriptions to local hospitals; and will he make some counter statement to prevent this result?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThere is no provision in the National Insurance Act empowering insurance committees to spend money on the building or equipment of hospitals. Under Section 12 it is lawful for an approved society or Insurance Committee to grant such subscriptions or donations as it may think fit to hospitals, dispensaries and other charitable institutions, and any sums so expended will be 1628 treated as expenditure on benefits. Approved societies and committees have also power under Section 12 in certain cases where insured persons are inmates of hospitals or similar institutions to pay sums payable on account of benefits in respect of such persons to the hospital or other institution concerned