I move:—
That for the purpose of any Act of the present Session to make provision for the continuance of the Medical Certification Fund and for that purpose to authorise the payment of certain sums respectively into and out of that Fund and also to make provision for the continuance of a certain Enactment relating to the application of sums unclaimed in the Stamps Sales Account, it is expedient to authorise the payment out of moneys to be provided by the Oireachtas of such sums as, together with the other sums directed by such Act to be credited to the Medical Certification Fund, shall be sufficient to meet the sums directed by such Act to be paid out of the said Fund.
Prior to 1924 the approved societies were not called upon to contribute to the cost of medical certification at all, the entire amount being borne by the State. In that year the charge was imposed on the funds of the societies In 1925-6 the charge on the societies' funds was reduced from 10d. per member to 5d. per member, the balance being obtained by drawing on the Unclaimed Stamps Sales Department. The amount drawn from the latter account for the year 1926 practically exhausted the amount available, and for the year 1927 the amount required must be provided out of public funds. It is estimated that a sum of £39,750 will be required, and provision is made for this expenditure under sub-head (6) of the National Insurance Commission Estimate for 1927-8.