§ Mr. KIDDasked the Secretary of State for India if he will say whether the Indian Army Medical Appeal Board in London consists entirely of Indian Medical Service officers; if the president was until very recently a member of the standing medical board and consequently deals with appeals against his own decisions; and if he will take steps to appoint exclusively civilian doctors on the appeal board who will approach appeals without a prejudice in favour of the standing board's decisions?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe Medical Board at the India Office consists of three officers of the Indian Medical Service, of whom two alone are present at the ordinary meetings, and there is a right of appeal from the decision of such two members to the third member who has not taken part in the decision. This member is ordinarily the president. The president is at present in India, and during his absence the appeal board consists of two medical 699W men, one of whom was a member of the Indian Medical Service but retired twenty-four years ago, and the other is a civilian; neither takes any part in the work of the India Office Medical Board. I do not propose to make any alteration in these arrangements.