An additional sum of £3,756 is required to meet expenditure out of the Vote for National Health Insurance for the current financial year. The principal item in the Estimate is £3,000 in respect of State Grant on expenditure on benefits and their administration. The expenditure on benefits in the current financial year has been higher than was expected when provision therefor was made in the original Estimate. When that Estimate was being prepared the indications were that there would be a decrease in the number of civilian men insured under the National Health Insurance Acts during 1941 owing to increasing unemployment and the enlistment of a large number of insured men in the defence forces. A substantial reduction in expenditure on sickness and disablement benefits was therefore estimated for, members of the defence forces not being entitled to these benefits. The reduction in the number of insured civilian men in 1941, however, proved much less than was expected, and the consequent reduction in benefit expenditure was less than anticipated by the amount now provided in this Estimate.
An additional sum of £220 is required under the sub-head for incidental expenses. Of this amount £218 is provided to repay to the National Health Insurance Society the cost of supplying information to the Department of Industry and Commerce in connection with the administration of the Emergency Powers (Food Allowances) Order, 1941. This order makes provision for the issue of food vouchers, exchangeable for food, to certain recipients of disablement benefit under the National Health Insurance Acts, who are in necessitous circumstances.
It has been arranged that the National Health Insurance Society issue to such members as are resident in the areas set out in the order and are recipients of disablement benefit, an official notification of the essential provisions of the order, and of the method of application for inclusion in the food voucher scheme. The society, in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Commerce, has compiled a register of members in receipt of disablement benefit who reside in the areas set out in the order, are in necessitous circumstances and have applied for inclusion in the scheme. The register is kept up to date by the society, and by reference to it the Department of Industry and Commerce issue the food vouchers. The number of such persons receiving food vouchers is 4,203.
An additional sum of £400 is required to meet the increase in the cost of travelling of insured persons to centres for examination by the district medical referees. This increase in cost is due (1) to the curtailment of railway and bus services, involving increased cost of travelling by cars, and (2) to the increase in rail and bus fares, and the abolition of return bus tickets. The number of persons examined by the district medical referees in the current financial year is slightly fewer than in the previous year, but the amount provided for travelling expenses was exhausted in the first nine months of the year owing to the increased cost. Hence the necessity for the additional sum of £400.
The three items of additional expenditure which have been dealt with amount to £3,620, to which has to be added a sum of £1,736, representing a short-fall in receipts to the Vote. The salaries of the staff engaged on work in connection with the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Acts are recouped to the Vote by the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Fund. Owing to changes in personnel, vacancies unfilled and reductions in staff, it is now estimated that the amount falling to be recouped will be £1,736 less than the amount for which credit was taken in the original Estimate. There is thus a total sum of £5,356 to be provided, against which there is a set-off of £1,600 which is the amount expected to be saved in the current year in respect of salaries, etc., of the staff.
