§ Mr. Grovesasked the Minister of Labour how and by whom the members 723W of recruiting medical boards are appointed; what inquiries are made to ensure suitability and experience; and what steps were taken to ensure that some at least of the many thousands of practitioners who are not members of the British Medical Association should be appointed?
§ Mr. E. BrownThese boards were originally appointed by me under the Military Training Act. Their members were drawn from practitioners whose names were selected by the medical officers of the Ministry of Health from lists of practitioners offering their services through the Central Emergency Committee of the British Medical Association. On the outbreak of war the boards were re-appointed under the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, and in addition to examining recruits under that Act they undertook, by arrangement with the Service Departments, the examination of voluntary recruits. After the outbreak of war the lists compiled by the Central Emergency Committee of the British Medical Association were transferred to and maintained by the Central Medical War Committee and subsequent appointments have been made from these lists. The considerations governing the selection are age, qualifications, previous experience in work of a similar capacity and availability for the work. Inquiries are not made into the question whether a practitioner is a member of any particular association.
§ Mr. Grovesasked the Minister of Labour (1) whether all the practitioners whose names were supplied to him by the medical officers of the Ministry of Health, out of the list supplied by the British Medical Association, have been appointed as chairmen of medical boards; and whether, knowing that the names came through a voluntary organisation desirous of extending its membership, any investigation was made to ensure impartiality by verifying that practitioners not members of the association were included in the list, and were, in fact, appointed;
(2) what was the test applied to ascertain the standing of the practitioners who were deemed eligible for appointment as chairmen of recruiting medical boards; and whether it was a test prescribed by his or any other Government Department;
(3) what procedure was adopted by his medical officers on receipt of the names 724W of practitioners supplied to them by the British Medical Association for the purpose of selecting chairmen of recruiting medical boards; in particular, was any investigation made to ensure that practitioners who are not members of the British Medical Association were included in the list of names; what is the total number of names supplied; and how many were not members of the association?
§ Mr. BrownChairmen of medical boards to the numbers required have been appointed on recommendations made to me by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health, to whose reply on this subject on 9th April I would refer the hon. Member. As regards membership of the British Medical Association, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave him on 7th February last.