SCHEDULE.—(Provisions as to advisory council and committees.) (Hansard, 27 January 1944)

§ Mr. Messer
I beg to move, in page 18, line 9, after "including," to insert: one or more persons having had experience in the administration of the training of disabled persons; representatives of the medical profession and. The Amendment is very simple. Its intention is to include in the provisions of the Bill an assurance that, on the national council and local advisory committees there shall be those who have experience in rehabilitation and members of the medical profession. I would emphasise the representation of the medical profession. In addition to being a doctor, a doctor is sometimes a man. [An HON. MEMBER: "Sometimes he is a woman."] Well, "man" embraces that. It will be 1025 important to have members of the profession and those who make a speciality of rehabilitation. I might allude in passing to that great experiment at Gleneagles. There are many such specialists in London and the Minister knows some of them. I want to avoid a position in which the district committees will refer cases to a panel. I want medical men to take part in the general working of the committee so that the medical viewpoint will be present on them.

§ Mr. Tomlinson
It is our intention to do what is now proposed, but to accept the wording of the Amendment would limit the Minister in the appointment of these committees. It is intended that men who have had experience in the direction suggested shall be appointed to the committees. It is true that a doctor may be a friend as well as a doctor, and be interested in these matters. It will also be necessary for medical advice to be obtained for the benefit of the panel, and I would point out that it would be necessary to have committees in a great many places where people can be found who have specialised in these matters, whatever the profession to which they belong. We shall hope to incorporate them on the committees.

§ Mr. Messer
If I can accept my hon. Friend's remarks as an assurance that medical men will be members of the committees and not merely members of the panels, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.

§ Mr. Tomlinson
I beg to move, in page 18, line 13, at the end, to insert: (2) In the absence of the chairman of the said council or of any of the said committees his functions may be performed by a member of the council or committee authorised in that behalf by the Minister. The purpose of this Amendment is first to repair an omission in the Schedule. It is clearly necessary to make some provision for another member of the council or committee to act as the chairman in the absence of the chairman. Otherwise the council or committee would be unable to function in the temporary absence of the chairman. This Amendment makes that possible.

§ Read-Admiral Beamish
I beg to move, in page 18, line 13, at the end, to insert: 2. Each district committee shall include one representative of the British Legion. I want to say a word or two on this. My only connection with the British Legion is that I originally joined one of its very earliest branches at the end of the last war. Since that time my only link has been as president of a local branch of a small parish in Sussex, which is a very successful branch. I should not like the Committee to think I have anything to do with the Executive Council or that I have received a brief in this matter of any kind or any hints of any kind. I have not. The only reason I have put it forward is because I know the work of the British Legion includes an immense number of the men of this country and also of the women, because there is a women's section, who have very close understanding, sympathy and appreciation for the ex-Serviceman. The legionnaire is himself an ex-Serviceman.
I could not help feeling when I read the Bill through as carefully as I could that these district committees will certainly be well served. If the Minister could see his way to include upon them some ex-officer sometimes, not by any manner of means invariably, or, I hope, an ex-rating or other rank from the Army, Navy or Air Force who is a highly respected member of the Brtish Legion, he will certainly be able to help the District Committee.

§ Mr. Bevin
I hope that this Amendment will not be pressed. I have been very careful in this Bill not to name any organisation at all. Once you start giving legal status in a Bill to one particular organisation you immediately get into trouble. What we have said regarding employers' and workers' associations—and within the meaning of the law the British Legion has been ruled by the umpires to be a workers' association—is that I shall consule them. But there are some parts of the country where there are other types of ex-Service men's organisations which I must also take into account. What I am anxious about it not to give any legal prescriptive right in the Bill to any particular association but to take advantage of all of them as people of good will who may be able to help me to find people for carrying an the work.

§ Rear-Admiral Beamish
I rather suspected that the Minister would say something like that. If I may say so, he has said a very wise thing. I realise what deep waters you could get into if you once made an exception. I think I tried to put in as good a word as I possibly could for the British Legion, and as the Minister has said he would consult them, which meets to a very great extent what I have in my mind, I beg leave to withdraw the Amendment.

§ Mr. Tomlinson
I beg to move, in page 18, line 50, at the end, to add: (3) References in this paragraph to the procedure of the said council, of a commitee or of a panel, include references to the quorum of that body. Again this is to remedy an omission. The Amendment is necessary as unless a provision is made regarding the quorum of the Council or Committee the whole Council or Committee would have to be present before it could function. Therefore it is intended to make the quorum of the body act as though the Committee had acted.