§ Sir KINGSLEY WOODasked the hon. Member for the Cathcart Division of Glasgow, as representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, whether the National Insurance Commissioners propose to pay a war bonus to panel doctors; if so, under what statutory authority and from which fund is such payment 611W being made; whether such payment is being made upon the basis of the number of insured persons upon a doctor's list or otherwise; and what is the maximum amount, if any, payable to any doctor, and the estimate of the total cost of such bonuses?
§ Mr. PRATTEarly in last year the Chancellor of the Exchequer received a deputation of insurance practitioners, and in reply to their representations promised them a supplementary remuneration in respect of the increased cost of living and practice expenses in certain cases, the de-612W tails of which are set out in a Memorandum of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy, as they are too long for convenient exposition in an oral reply. The total cost cannot be accurately estimated until all the applications have been dealt with, but it is not expected to exceed £250,000. It will be paid under the statutory authority of the Appropriation Act, from Exchequer moneys voted by Parliament for the purpose of supplementing the Exchequer moneys, approximating to some two million pounds, annually expended on medical remuneration apart from the funds derived from insurance contributions.