§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many defaulters on payments requested by the area health authorities under Section 155 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 were reported to the police and brought before the courts in 1973, 1974 and 1975, respectively.
§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average cost of making a claim for payment under Section 155 of the Road Traffic Act 1972, in 1976 prices.
§ Dr. OwenThis administrative cost is not separately identified by health authorities in their account, but I am advised that it is sometimes considerable to the extent that it is more expensive to pursue some claims than to waive them. This is one of the reasons why we intend to introduce a wholly new system of charging as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his statement in the House on 22nd July.—[Vol. 915, c. 2016.]
§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many fees of £1.25 have been collected by area 664W health authorities under the powers of Section 155 (1)(a) and (b) of the Road Traffic Act 1972; and what number of persons have declined to pay, in 1973, 1974 and 1975, respectively.
§ Dr. OwenIncome under Sections 154 and 155 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 is accounted for as a whole and it is not possible centrally to identify the payments in respect of the Section 155 emergency treatment fee of £1.25. The total received under both sections in the latest available year, 1974–75, was £1,282,000 (England) of which it is roughly estimated that one-fifth represents Section 155 receipts.
§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what proportion of the cases involved the amount paid for hospital treatment for injuries following traffic accidents under Section 154 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 has actually covered the cost of such treatment.
§ Dr. OwenThe full cost of providing the relevant services is estimated at between £40 million and £45 million for Great Britain, which greatly exceeds receipts under Section 154 and Section 155 which in 1974–75 was £1,282,000—England only.
§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons involved in road accidents have been asked to pay £1.25 under the provisions of Section 155 of the Road Traffic Act 1972; and how many have actually done so in 1973, 1974 and 1975, respectively.