§ 54. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the practice of requiring nurses, doctors and administrative staffs to pay for meals consumed whilst on duty at hospitals is not applied to chairmen and members of hospital regional boards and management committees and Ministers when having meals at hospitals on occasions of their official visits.
§ Mr. CrossmanChairmen and members of hospital boards and committees are unpaid, but may claim for certain expenses when on hospital business. They are not normally charged for meals, but forgo any subsistence allowances to which they would otherwise be entitled. Hospital authorities are allowed to spend reasonable sums on entertainment on appropriate occasions, including visits by Ministers.