§ Mr. Emeryasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consideration he has given to using National Insurance numbers as the reference point for all citizens in respect of the National Health Service; and what is his estimate of the administrative savings resulting from ending the system of separate National Health numbers for citizens.
§ Mr. CrossmanThe possibility of using one number for both National Insurance and National Health Service purposes has been considered on several occasions in the past. The cost of making the change would be considerable.