CAB129-45 — Page 333

CONFIDENTIAL

C. P. (51) 116

25TH APRIL, 1951

CABINET

Page 333

COPY NO.

NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE BILL

Memorandum by the Minister of Health and the Secretary of State for Scotland

We are much concerned about the effect of the lapse of time before the charges for dentures and spectacles contemplated by this Bill can be brought into operation and we feel our colleagues ought to have the following resume of the present situation.

2.

Applications for dentures have practically doubled since the Chancellor's announcement of impending charges.

3.

For spectacles comprehensive figures are not available but enquiries of the three largest Executive Councils in the country suggest that the rate of application has increased by about 25%. (Mr. W. Griffiths (Manchester Exchange) referred to this increase in his remarks during the Second Reading debate on 24th April.) Similar increases began in Scotland during March following a prediction that charges would be imposed which was carried in a widely-read Scottish newspaper at the end of February.

4.

The charges imposed under the Bill will not, of course, apply

to these cases.

5.

The estimate of £12. 5 millions as the savings under the Bill for the first year was based on the assumption that the charges, would come into operation as originally planned within a few days of the Budget statement, i. e. the 13th April. The evidence as to demand mentioned above suggests that these savings will be reduced at nearly twice the normal pro rata rate during the period between the Budget and the operation of the charges.

6.

This makes it imperative that the period before the charges are in force should be cut to a minimum and we should like, in this connection, to refer specially to the following two points.

7.

We shall be strongly pressed to find an alternative to the National Assistance Board for assessing whether particular individuals should be assisted to pay the charge. Leaving aside the fact that the intention of this suggestion is that the alternative should be less effective in applying the charges, no suitable alternative is in existence. (The Executive Councils, which have been suggested, are totally unfitted by constitution, staffing and experience to undertake such a task). If new machinery has to be created, staffed and brought into operation this must result in considerable additional delay before the charges can operate. Unless we are to lose still more of the savings which should result from the Bill this suggestion must be resisted.

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