To be purchased through any Bookseller or directly from IMPERIAL HOUSE, KINGSWAY, LONDON, W.C. 2, and 28, ABINGDON STREET LONDON S.W.1; or from EASON AND SON, LTD., 40 and 41, LOWER SACKVILLE STREET, DUBLIN. 1922. Price 6d. Net. [Cmd. 1575.] 6,7 8-11 12-14 15-20 21 22, 23 24, 25 Statistics of Approved Societies and Insured Persons 5 6 6 8 9 11 12 Representatives of Approved 13 Administrative Problems: (i) Benefits Register (ii) Membership Register (iii) Contribution Cards and Returns 26-28 29-31 32 33-37 THE IRISH NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE FUND AND Constitution and Working of the Fund Apportionment of the Irish National Health Insurance Transfers of Funds under Section 83(2) of the Act of NOTE BY THE CHAIRMAN AS TO THE ALTERATION OF THE 25 Appendix A. List of Matters requiring Adaptation by Order in Council* Appendix B. Statistics of Insured Persons * Note.-An Order in Council effecting the necessary adaptations being in course of preparation, Appendix A is not printed. Z 16662 MINUTE OF APPOINTMENT. As Chairman of the National Health Insurance Joint Committee, I hereby appoint Sir ALFRED W. WATSON, K.C.B. (Chairman), Government Actuary, Mr. J. A. DALE, Permanent Secretary of th Ministry of Labour (Northern Ireland), Sir JOSEPH GLYNN, Chairman of the National Health Insurance Commission (Ireland), Mr. M. L. GWYER, C.B., Solicitor to the Ministry of Health, Sir WALTER S. KINNEAR, K.B.E., Deputy to the Chairman of the National Health Mr. E. J. STROHMENGER, C.B., Financial Adviser to the National Health Insurance to be a committee to consider and report upon the steps. necessary to carry out the provisions of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, in respect of National Health Insurance. And I further appoint Mr. G. S. W. Epps, of the Government Actuary's Department, to be Secretary of the Committee. 18th October, 1921. A. MOND. NOTE. The estimated gross cost of the appended Report (including the expenses of the Committee) is £101 178. 10d. of which £17 18. Od. represents the gross cost of the printing and publishing of this Report. * (37)16662 Wt 24547-G 636 625 1/22 B REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE ON THE APPLICATION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND ACT, 1920, TO NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE. To the Rt. Hon. Sir ALFRED MOND, Bart., M.P., SIR, Chairman of the National Health Insurance Joint Committee.' (1) By Minute of the National Health Insurance Joint Committee dated the 18th October, 1921, we were appointed a Committee to consider the steps necessary to carry out the provisions of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, in respect of National Health Insurance. We have the honour to submit the following Report. (2) Since the Committee was appointed the position in Ireland has been profoundly altered by the Agreement of 6th December. In these circumstances we have thought it right to restrict our Report so far as possible to the transfer of the Health Insurance service to the Government of Northern Ireland and the application of the National Health Insurance Acts to Northern Ireland. Since, however, Health Insurance is not an ordinary piece of administrative machinery, but is bound up with the vital interests of some hundreds of thousands of insured persons throughout the whole of Ireland who are dependent upon it for their benefits in time of sickness, &c., we have assumed (we hope, properly) that until not only the Government of Northern Ireland but the new Government, which will become responsible for Health Insurance within the area of the Irish Free State, have had an opportunity of reviewing the situation and of determining what changes, if any, they may desire to make, the existing scheme will continue in operation. It will be seen in the course of our Report that great numbers of persons resident either in Southern Ireland or in Northern Ireland are members of societies whose head offices are situated in the area of Ireland other than that in which they reside, or are members of societies whose head offices are situated in Great Britain. For this reason it is of the utmost importance that the arrangements to be made provisionally should be such as not to interrupt the smooth working of the system under which these insured persons obtain their benefits when in need, and we have accordingly framed our Report upon the assumption, indicated above, that until the Governments concerned have decided upon the form which the system shall hereafter take it will be continued as far as possible on its present lines, such administrative changes only being made as are necessitated by the change in the authorities which conduct the administration and provide the State grants towards the cost of the benefits. We have had it in mind that, as soon as the new Government contemplated by the Agreement is set up, the Joint Committee may wish to communicate our Report to that Government as in some way indicating the nature of the problem with which it will have to deal. We think it necessary to add that our terms of reference authorise us only to consider the changes in the administration of the service arising out of the transfer. It is not our function, and we have not sought, to explore the effects of any subsequent changes in the statutory system; but we may add that we are informed that the Government of Northern Ireland does not contemplate at present, and until circumstances alter, any modification of the Acts which would disturb the uniformity of the existing scheme. (3) We find that, in connection with the transfer to the Government of Northern Ireland as from the "appointed day," namely 1st January, 1922*, numerous adaptations will be required to be made by Orders in Council under section 69 of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920. In Appendix A to this Report we submit a list of matters which are required, or may be required, so to be dealt with. The need for several of the items which we have enumerated is self-evident, and comment, in these cases, we think unnecessary. We propose, therefore, to devote this Report so far as possible to an examination of the effect of the division of authority upon the larger financial matters affecting : (i) The Irish National Health Insurance Fund; and (ii) Approved Societies operating in Northern Ireland; and to explain the administrative procedure which, under each of these heads, is required to give effect to the new conditions. (4) As under the Order in Council the 22nd November, 1921, is the "appointed day" in respect of financial provisions which have not previously come into operation, the question of the State grant towards the expenditure of approved societies upon benefits and the cost of the administration thereof is the first in point of time to call for attention. Any matter affecting the State grant at once raises questions as to the accounts of the approved societies, and as a matter of convenience, therefore, we propose to deal first with changes affecting these bodies. APPROVED SOCIETIES. (5) It will be convenient at this stage to indicate the types of society which have to be considered in this connection. These are as follows :— (a) The societies approved by the Irish Insurance Commissioners and confining their operations to Ireland; and (b) The societies operating in Ireland and elsewhere under the authority of Joint Committee approval. Such *See note by the Chairman as to alteration of the " appointed day' following the Report... + See note on p. 2. |