§ 35. Major-General Sir RICHARD LUCEasked the Minister of Health whether he is now in a position to make any statement as to the steps to be taken to give effect to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on National 696 Health Insurance and, in particular, those relating to the abolition of insurance committees and the provision of a specialist and consultant medical service for all insured persons by means of a partial pooling of future surpluses of approved societies?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe various recommendations of the Royal Commission have now been exhaustively discussed with the Consultative Council of Approved Societies, and it is intended pursuant to that discussion to take the first convenient opportunity of introducing an amending Health Insurance Bill embodying most of the recommendations of the Royal Commission. It is not, however, proposed to provide in this Bill for the abolition of insurance committees or for the extension of medical benefit to include a specialist and consultant service by means of a partial pooling of societies' surpluses.