§ 23. Mr. LARDNERasked the Chief Secretary whether any councils of counties or county boroughs in Ireland have agreed to pay half of any expenditure on the treatment of tuberculous insured persons over and above the money provided for sanatorium treatment under the National Health Insurance Act, if so, will he give the names of such authorities; will he state whether any insurance committees have represented to the council of their county or to the Treasury that the amount available for defraying the cost of sanatorium treatment to insured persons resident within their area was already, or was likely to be, insufficient to meet the estimated expenditure; if so, will he give the names; whether any Grants under Section 17 have been made in Ireland; and, if so, will he state the amounts and the authorities to whom made?
§ Mr. WEDGWOOD BENN (Lord of the Treasury)Up to the present time one county council in Ireland, namely, Meath, has agreed to meet one half of an anticipated deficiency under Section 17; the other half will be met by the Treasury in due course.
§ 86. Mr. W. THORNEasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Insurance Commissioners have power to vary the Clause in the National Insurance Act which states that a person in a sanatorium who has no dependents is not entitled to sickness benefit; if he is aware that many persons have suffered hardship through this restriction, seeing that personal expenses may accrue whilst a person is an inmate of a sanatorium and not in receipt of wages or income; and if he is prepared to take action to enable societies to pay at least a portion of the usual weekly amount of sickness benefit?
§ Mr. BENNThe Commissioners have no power to vary the terms of the Act in the manner suggested by my hon. Friend.