§ Mr. HODGEasked the Chancellor (1) whether the 6s. per head which lie proposes to set aside under the National Insurance Bill for medical assistance and drugs in respect to each insured person will apply to those insured voluntarily through the Post Office as well as to employed contributors; (2) whether he has considered the desirability of allowing insured persons under his insurance scheme to retain their own doctors, subject to the provisions of Clause 14?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEIn reply to these questions perhaps I may be permitted to refer to the full explanation which I gave in the discussion on the Second Reading of the Bill yesterday. In the actuarial calculations the same sum was allocated to medical attendance for the Post Office contributions as for the others, but power is given by Clause 14 to the local health committee to supplement this with the consent of the Treasury and the county council or county borough council from the Exchequer and from local rates.