§ 9. Mr. GEORGE TERRELLasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Wiltshire Insurance Committee at Trowbridge have received an application from 2201 over 150 members of various friendly societies resident in the villages of Box and Colerne, in Wiltshire, requesting that they might be allowed to make their own arrangements in the choice of doctors for medical attendance during illness; and on what grounds, if any, the application has been refused?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Masterman)I am informed by the Wiltshire Insurance Committee that between the 13th January and the end of March they received applications from about 100 insured persons (mostly from the neighbourhoods of Colerne and Box) for permission to make their own arrangements for medical attendance and treatment. These applications were on identical printed forms, and gave no reasons and no indication of what arrangements the applicants proposed to make. The committee were of opinion that there was an organised attempt to break down the panel system, and accordingly decided not to grant the applications. Wherever the committee have received genuine applications, and the reason given and the arrangements proposed have in their opinion been satisfactory, they have given permission.