§ 24. Sir R. THOMASasked the Minister of Health what, was the average cost of drugs and appliances per insured person during 1927 in the areas of Welsh insurance committees and in the areas of English insurance committees, respectively?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of HEALTH (Sir Kingsley Wood)The figures for 1927 were, approximately, 29.5 pence in Wales and 35.1 pence in England.
§ Sir R. THOMASCan the right hon. Gentleman say why England should be so much higher than Wales?
§ Sir K. WOODI think that one of the reasons for the lower cost per head in Wales may be the large number of persons receiving treatment for minor complaints in the Principality.
§ Mr. MACLEAN(by Private Notice) asked the Minister of Health whether seeing that the National Health Insurance Bill is composed entirely of Amendments to certain Acts of Parliament and in view of the fact that the number of volumes of Statutes in the Libraries of the House of Commons is so limited as to render it impossible for Members to follow the references, he will consider the convenience of Members by arranging for a sufficient supply of the Acts which are proposed to be amended by the Bill being placed either in the Library or in the Vote Office.
§ Sir K. WOODThe Bill is in the main a Bill to amend a single Act, the National Health Insurance Act, 1924; and the hon. Member will find a full statement of its effect in the explanatory memorandum already laid before Parliament, of which I am sending him a copy.
§ Mr. MACLEANDoes the right hon. Gentleman not realise that his reply does not meet the difficulty The 1924 Act is only one of the Acts, though the principal Act, which it is proposed to amend. It contains a large number of Sections which are to be amended, and for Members of the House to understand the purport of the proposed Amendments and what the new Act is to be like, it is necessary that the Acts of Parliament should be available to Members? Will the right hon. Gentleman see that there is a suffi- 175 cient supply of the 1924 and other Acts in the Vote Office for the information of Members?
§ Sir K. WOODThe hon. Member is repeating his former question, to which I have already given a reply.
§ Mr. MACLEANDoes the right hon. Member not realise that, after all, the question is not being put to him as an individual, but is a request that he should meet the convenience of Members of the House? Surely Members are entitled to courtesy from the right hon. Member?
§ Mr. BUCHANANMay I ask you, Mr. Speaker, whether you have no power in this matter A number of Members found it very difficult last night to get copies of the Statutes that they needed in order to follow the discussion that will take place on the Bill. Have you no power to see that for the purposes of discussion of the Bill the number of copies of the Acts to be amended is increased?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI have powers with regard to the Library and I shall look into the matter.
§ Mr. NAYLORIs it not practicable, when Bills are introduced with numerous references to original Acts, to have the Sections which it is proposed to amend printed with the new Bill?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat lies outside my jurisdiction.