103. Mr. WORTHINGTON-EVANSasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the total Civil Service Estimates, including those on other Estimates relating to health insurance, for the year 1913–14 amount to £6,991,844; and whether the estimate of the Government actuaries for the same year was £3,852,500?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe figure given by the hon. Gentleman appears to include the special Grant of £125,000 for the general treatment of tuberculosis amongst uninsured persons and £127,335 in respect of the National Insurance Audit Department. The cost of this latter service in relation to health insurance is also shown in the notes to the other Estimates, and thus appears twice over in the hon. Member's figure. The correct figure is thus £6,739,509. The amount included in this sum in respect of the State proportion of benefits and of the cost of administration of benefits (including contributions to the Navy and Army Special Fund and on account of low-paid labour) is £4,006,850–about £43,000 less than the actuarial estimate, which, as the hon. Member will see from paragraph 16 of Cd. 5983, was £4,050,000. The sum of £3,852,500 quoted by the hon. Member does not include the State contribution in respect of deposit contributors. The balance of £6,739,509–£2,733,000–is due as regards £1,877,000 to the special Medical Grant, and as regards the remainder to the cost of the central administration, which was expressly excluded from the actuaries' estimate.