§ Mr. JOYCEasked the Comptroller of the Household, as representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, whether his attention has been called to the position of the Limerick Workers' Benefit Approved Society, which, owing to the conditions brought on by the War, has been placed in a position of difficulty financially owing to the unexpected number of disabled soldiers and sailors, 765W especially the former, who through wounds or disease have come on the funds of this society, so that it is a consideration for the committee of management as to how long the funds will bear the strain; and whether, seeing that numbers of men who, under normal conditions of peace, would not become a burden on the funds of those societies in anything like the numbers they do now owing to the conditions of war, the Government will consider the advisability of coming to the aid of those societies which have been so hard hit in this unexpected manner in order to prevent them from becoming insolvent by giving a Grant from Government funds in all those cases where men who have been injured in their health owing to the War have had to fall back on the funds of those societies?
§ Mr. CHARLES ROBERTSOn the facts at present available, no sound conclusion can be arrived at as to the position of an approved society in the circumstances to which the hon. Member refers. The ultimate effect of the War upon the finances of approved societies can only be ascertained by balancing the results of various opposing factors, as indicated in paragraph 40 of the Interim Report of the Departmental Committee on Approved Society Finance and Administration, and is essentially a matter for actuarial investigation after the War.