§ 16. Mr. COWANasked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the fact that certain Scottish doctors have been paid, for medically examining recruits, at the rate of 2s. 6d. each for the first sixteen recruits with a limit of £2 for any one day, resulting, in some cases, in an average rate of less than 6d. per recruit, while other medical men have been paid at the rate of 2s. 6d. per head without any limit; whether this discrimination has been justified by the War Office on the ground that the higher rate has been paid through the inadvertence of recruiting officers who, in some cases, did not receive notice of the £2 limit, and consequently engaged doctors at wrong rates, though this does not apply to the Scottish Command; and whether, considering the inadequacy of the rates actually paid in Scotland for the professional services rendered, he will now authorise the payment to such Scottish doctors of such sums as may be necessary to place them upon an equal footing with their colleagues in the Eastern Command?
§ Mr. FORSTER£2 is considered a fair maximum for a full day's work in the medical examination of recruits. Authority has been given to exceed this maximum in certain exceptional cases in which a rate per head was promised without limitation as to total, but it is not considered that a simlar arrangement in other cases could be justified.
§ Mr. COWANDoes the right hon. Gentleman consider it fair treatment of medical men, who in some cases were not told until their work was done what the conditions of remuneration would be?
§ Mr. FORSTERI have looked carefully into the whole of this question, and I cannot came to any other conclusion than I have come to.
§ Mr. HOGGEHas the hon. Gentleman recovered from doctors any of the money that has been paid for passing into the Army men who were medically unfit?
§ Mr. FORSTERYes. I think, speaking, from memory, that a certain amount has been recovered. If the hon. Gentleman wishes, he can have particulars.