§ Mr. SUTTONasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that Section 14, Sub-section (3), of the National Insurance Act, 1911, provides that insurance committees shall make rules, inter alia, in respect of the visiting of persons in receipt of the benefits administered by them, the cost of such sick visitors and supervision will form part of the costs of medical benefit and the administration thereof which under Section 15, Sub-section (6), and Sectton 61, Subsection (2), of the Act must be paid by approved societies to the insurance committees; whether, inasmuch as the Commissioners have also imposed upon approved societies similar duties in respect to the visiting of persons in receipt of the benefits administered by them, the cost of which work will constitute an appreciable item in the administration expenses of approved societies, it is the intention of the Commissioners to make Regulations to prevent any unnecessary duplication of this work or to secure that approved societies shall not have to pay twice over for their own system of sick visitors and for that of the insurance committees; and what steps, if any, do the Commissioners propose to take to secure that no person shall be fined, penalised, or deprived of benefits for the same offence under both the rules of his approved society and under any Regulations made under Section 14, Sub-section (3), of the Act by the insurance committee for the county or borough administering the medical benefits?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe insurance committees have, under Section 14 (3), the duty of making rules only in respect of. benefits administered by them. If the hon. Member's question refers to visiting in connection with sickness benefit, the rules of the insurance committee will apply only to deposit contributors, and no part of the cost, if any, will fall upon the sums provided for medical benefit and its administration. If, however, the hon. Member's question relates to the administration of medical benefit, the model ruler, for its administration issued by the Commissioners for the consideration of insurance committees contain no provision for the appointment of visitors by insuranc committees. A provision is inserted in 1025W the model rules to guard against the contingency suggested in the last part of the question.