§ Colonel VAUGHAN-MORGANasked the Minister of Health whether, in the case of regular contributors under the National Health Insurance Act inadvertently losing their cards on which the stamps have been duly affixed and cancelled, he will take steps to see that these people shall be credited with the amount of their paid contribution and entitled to sickness benefit under the scheme instead of having to defray the cost of stamps for a duplicate card or being treated as a 372W person in arrear with contributions and therefore not eligible for sickness benefit?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINUnder the statutory regulations governing the benefits of insured persons in arrears a contributor cannot receive credit for contributions paid until a duly stamped card is surrendered to his Approved Society. I regret that it has not been found practicable to allow an exception to be made in the case of contributors who claim to have lost their cards as it is essential for the proper working of the health insurance scheme that nothing should be done which might conduce to laxity on the part of insured persons with regard to the care and surrender of their cards.