§ 23. Mr. SNOWDENasked the Under-Secretary of State for War if the statement made by the Chief Commissioner of Medical Service before the Select Committee on Medical Examinations that all members of the medical boards are civilians now is in accord with the facts; whether the president of the Derby recruiting medical board is a retired major, Royal Army Medical Corps, with no experience whatever of general practice; whether he still remains president of this board; is he aware that the conduct of this chairman has been notorious through the whole district for the way he has treated the men who came before him as recruits; whether he is aware that during the first seven weeks that this man acted as president of the medical board no less than six civilian doctors resigned; whether this president is now assisted, or was up to 298 quite recently, by an elderly captain of the Royal Army Medical Corps; and whether steps will be taken at once to change the personnel of this board?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of NATIONAL SERVICE (Mr. Beck)All members of the National Service medical boards are civilian medical practitioners. Certain of the presidents of the recruiting medical boards continued to act as chairmen of the National Service medical boards during the period of transference of the medical department from the control of the Army Council to that of the Ministry of National Service, but these have now been relieved with the exception of two, who will be relieved within a few days. The president of the recruiting medical board at Derby relinquished his position on 1st December, 1917, and has been succeeded by a well-known highly qualified civilian medical practitioner. Inquiries are being made regarding the alleged action of the late president of this board.