§ Mr. JOWETTasked the Under-Secretary of State for War (1) if he is aware that Private W. Illingworth, No. 64548, 3rd labour company, 3rd platoon, Durham Light Infantry, 4th Corps, British Expeditionary Force, France, who has been blind of one eye from birth, and who is only able to see indistinctly with the other eye and who was classified C2 by the Army medical authorities when he joined the Army, was not re-examined before he was sent overseas; and whether, having regard to the fact that men of the C class are re-examined before being sent over 1855W seas, he will arrange for Private Illing-worth to be re-examined at an early date; and (2) whether his attention has been called to the case of Private Charles Dobson, No. 30672, 3rd Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment, No: 6 Company, No. 7 hut, Chirton Camp, North Shields, who twice offered himself for enlistment and was rejected medically unfit and was afterwards called for re-examination, classified C1, put into an Infantry regiment, and is now being trained for foreign service; whether he is aware that this soldier had ten tubercular glands taken from his neck on the 28th February, 1915, and that when be was called to the Colours he was suffering from a recurrence of tuberculous glands; if he is aware that Private Dobson had been warned after the operation alluded to by his medical adviser that he must exercise great care to prevent tuberculosis attacking his lungs, of which there was danger; if he is aware that before he joined the Army Private Dobson was under the supervision of the Public Health Department as a sufferer from tuberculosis and had been instructed by that Department to occupy a separate bedroom with the object of protecting other members of the household from the disease; whether, under the circumstances mentioned, the Army Council intend to retain Private Dobson for service in the Army; if so, what steps will be taken to protect the other soldiers who share No. 7 hut with Private Dobson; and what measures he intends to adopt to prevent the disease from which Private Dobson is suffering from attacking his lungs?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONI am having inquiries made into the matters brought to notice by my hon. Friend in this question and the next, and I will inform him of the result as soon as possible.