§ Captain Kerbyasked the Minister of Health if he will discontinue the use of National Registration Numbers throughout the National Health Service and substitute National Insurance numbers instead.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodNo. The proposal has already been carefully examined in conjunction with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance. Only about half the population have National Insurance numbers, whereas nearly everyone has a National Health Service number. The former numbers could not, therefore, be used as a substitute for the latter.