§ Sir E. Graham-Littleasked the Home Secretary what procedure is at present adopted by his Department in the case of persons who claim exemption from fire- 227W prevention duties upon certificates furnished by their family practitioners; upon what grounds such cases are referred to his regional officers or to medical referees appointed by the Ministry of Labour; and whether he will terminate the practice whereby registered medical practitioners are subject to revision by non-medical tribunals, to whom details of the patients' illnesses are thus disclosed, without reference to the doctors who gave the certificates and without the consent of the individual patients concerned?
§ Mr. H. MorrisonThe procedure for dealing with applications for exemption from fire guard duties on grounds of medical unfitness is governed by the Fire Guard (Medical and Hardship Exemptions) Order, 1943. Under that Order the Minister of Home Security has power to grant or refuse such exemption in England and Wales. This power I have delegated to regional commissioners who, in exercising it, will be guided by the medical evidence regarding the applicant's unfitness to perform fire guard duties. In discharging their task under the Order regional commissioners are assisted by regional medical officers of the Ministry of Health and where an independent medical examination of the applicant appears to be necessary, that examination is made by one of the medical referees appointed by the Minister of Labour and National Service. Experience has shown that great dissatisfaction is caused when persons obtain exemption from fire guard duties on grounds which fellow-workers regard as inadequate. I am not, therefore, prepared to amend the Order so as to secure the grant of exemption in all cases when the applicant submits a certificate from a doctor that he is unfit for fire guard duties. Such certificates are, however, regarded as essential both to check frivolous or fraudulent applications and to enable the regional commissioner, on the advice of the regional medical officer, to decide whether the applicant ought to be required to undergo an examination by a medical referee.