§ 66. Mr. GODFREY LOCKER-LAMPSONasked whether any insurance committees under the National Insurance Act have refused to send Form Medical 21 to insured persons who have applied for it, and, if so, which?
§ 112. Sir WILLIAM BULLasked whether the Form Medical 21, issued by the insurance Commissioners, has been withdrawn; if so, upon what ground they have withdrawn it; and, if not, where compulsorily insured persons can obtain copies of this form on applying for it.
§ Mr. MASTERMANI am informed that some insurance committees have not issued Form Medical 21, pending the publication of an alternative form dealing more fully with the conditions under which applications for permission to make their own arrangements under the provisions of Section 15 (3) of the Act will be entertained.
§ 67. Mr.GODFREY LOCKER-LAMPSONasked whether any insurance committees under the National Insurance Act have refused to allow insured persons to make their own arrangements for receiving medical attendance and treatment?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI am not aware of any general refusal of any insurance committee to grant permission to insured persons to make their own arrangements when the panel system is working, though I believe some committees have suspended the granting of such permission until they are satisfied that a panel system sufficient to provide adequate attendance for all insured persons is assured.
§ 74. Mr. NEWMANasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been drawn to a recommendation of the general purposes sub-committee of the Middlesex insurance committee, that under no circumstances should an insured person be allowed to make arrangements with a medical practitioner who had withdrawn from a local panel, and that only 34 under exceptional circumstances should insured persons be allowed to make their own arrangements, each case to be dealt with on its merits; and whether he will explain why this insurance committee proposes thus to penalise a medical practitioned on the ground that he has reconsidered a decision to serve on a local panel?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI understand that the Middlesex Insurance Committee recognised that it was impossible to allow doctors who had made contracts for a definite period and had not been released, to break these contracts and yet undertake the attendance of insured persons within the same period upon different terms.
§ Mr. NEWMANMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that the Middlesex Insurance Committee at that particular meeting—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Gentleman must know that the Minister cannot have knowledge of the proceedings of the Middlesex Insurance Committee.
78. Mr. FREDERICK HALL (Dulwich)asked if a panel doctor is empowered to prescribe the hours during which he will receive applications from insured persons to call upon them at their own homes; and, if so, whether steps will be taken to remedy an arrangement likely, under the present congested conditions, to have serious results in cases of dangerous illness?
§ Mr. MASTERMANA doctor on a panel is under the same conditions in the matter to which the hon. Member refers as are doctors in ordinary private practice. He may give notice of a time within which he will receive requests to call upon patients for ordinary attendance, and he is under obligation to attend them at any hour in cases of urgency.