§ Mr. R. DAVIESasked the Minister of Labour, as representing the Ministry of Health, the number of medical referees employed under the State health insurance scheme; and the number of insured persons examined by them for a first period of their service?
§ Major BOYD-CARPENTERThe number of whole-time medical officers who in addition to their own duties are employed as medical referees is 35. The number of insured persons referred to them during the financial year 1921–22, when the sphere of their operations was limited, was 81,762 of whom 47,404 attended for examination. Since the referee service was extended, during the present financial year, to cover the whole country, the number of references has increased to such an extent as to necessitate the employment of a certain number of part-time referees in addition