§ 36. Mr. RUPERT GWYNNEasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention has been called to cases in which insured persons, on moving their residence, have been refused medical treatment by panel doctors on the grounds that they had recently had a touch of influenza and were therefore in need of a bottle of medicine; whether doctors, in so acting, complied with the regulations which 938 govern the administration of the sickness benefit under the National Insurance Act; and, if so, what steps insured persons are to take to obtain advice and medicine if all the local doctors on the panel act similarly?
Mr. BENNNo cases of the kind referred to have come to the notice of my right hon. Friend. Doctors on the panel have, of course, a right under the National Insurance Act, 1911, to refuse in the first instance to accept an individual insured person, but arrangements have been made whereby a doctor may be obtained by any insured person so refused.
§ Mr. RUPERT GWYNNEWill the hon. Gentleman make inquiry from the Commissioners?
Mr. BENNAs I have explained to the hon. Gentleman, arrangements have been made for dealing with these cases. If he knows of a case where the arrangement has been broken, I shall be very glad to know about it.
§ Mr. RUPERT GWYNNEWill not the hon. Gentleman inquire? My difficulty is that the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Masterman), who has been in correspondence with me on the subject, is not here, and therefore I think I have a perfect right to press the matter.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe matter can be arranged by putting a question down.