§ 20. Mr. CHARLES BATHURSTasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that in Liverpool and elsewhere the accounts and registers of approved societies have, during the second quarter of the health insurance year, been placed in the hands of the auditors at their request; that after several weeks' delay and inconvenience, owing to the second quarter's cards coming in in their absence, they were returned without their having yet been checked for the first quarter; and whether the machinery of audit can be accelerated and improved so as to prevent a recurrence of this experience?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI have made inquiries into the matter, and I find that in two cases in the neighbourhood of Liverpool the return of registers was asked for by societies before the audit was completed. These requests were in both cases immediately complied with. I cannot find that in the case of accounts other than 466 registers any difficulties of the kind referred to in the question have arisen. Instructions are being given to the auditors with a view to preventing such inconvenience as is referred to in the question from arising.