§ Major CHAPPLEasked the Minister of Munitions whether the cost of an artificial limb for a limbless soldier is £15; whether his Department has gone into the question of the intrinsic cost of an artificial limb; if not, whether it will do so; and, if such a limb can be produced in -a workshop under his control at a cost of about £5, will he start their manufacture at Brighton and Roehamption?
§ Mr. BARNESThe cost of an artificial limb varies according as to whether it is to replace an arm or a leg, and with the nature of the amputation. A Committee of experts exists for the purpose of advising as to the most suitable types of limbs and as to the prices which should be paid for them. If they advise that prices asked by the manufacturers are excessive, the question of a Government factory will be considered, but the main consideration which I have in view is not the cheapness of the limb but its efficiency.