Mr. W. M. ADAMSONasked the Minister of Health if the National Health Insurance (Prolongation of Insurance) Act will be renewed for 1925?
§ Mr. WHEATLEYProvision has been included in the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill now before Parliament for the extension until the 31st December, 1925, of the operation of the National Health Insurance (Prolongation of Insurance) Act.
§ Mr. VIANTasked the Minister of Health whether he will require deficiencies in the administration accounts of societies and branches to be met by a levy on the members or by grants from the private side of the societies and branches before the valuation result in the valuations now in the course of preparation is declared?
§ Mr. WHEATLEYThe Regulations under Section 35 of the National Insurance Act, 1911, require that any society or branch having a deficiency exceeding 6d. a member, on its administration account at the end of any year, shall at once take steps to make good such deficiency. As there is necessarily an interval of nearly two years between the date as at which a society is valued and the issue of the Valuation Report, there should not, on this valuation, be any cases in which an administration deficiency as at the valuation date is still outstanding at the date when the Report would normally be issued.
§ Mr. VIANTasked the Minister of Health whether he is prepared to make a regulation giving approved societies powers to charge the deficiency on the administration account to the benefit funds where the surplus is large enough to bear such charge and he is satisfied that such deficiency has not been created by maladministration?
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§ Mr. WHEATLEYI have no power to make a regulation to the effect suggested by the hon. Member, as the National Health Insurance Acts do not admit of a surplus disclosed on the valuation of a society or branch being used in the manner suggested. Such a provision would, moreover, in my opinion be undesirable as it would be likely to lead to extravagant expenditure on administration.