§ 29. Mr. BUCHANANasked the Minister of Health whether he can make arrangements to close the gap between the cessation of sickness benefit and the commencement of unemployment benefit in cases where insured persons have been referred to regional medical officers?
Sir H. YOUNGI have now made arrangements whereby an insured person who is summoned for examination by a regional medical officer will be advised to see his own doctor on the morning following his examination. The doctor will then have received the report of the regional medical officer and if that officer is of opinion that the insured person is fit for work, and the doctor agrees, he will so inform the insured person, with the result that he will be able to attend at the Employment Exchange the same morning and claim unemployment benefit. As sickness benefit will be payable up to and including the date of examination by the regional medical officer there need no longer be any gap during which no benefit is payable provided that the claimant satisfies the usual conditions.