MINORITY REPORT. 
S01 
(2) The interest of the Approved Society in the normal 
and the additional benefits is less narrow. In relation to the 
normal benefits they are concerned (a) to see that insured 
persons who are entitled to benefit are promptly paid, and 
(b) to see that no insured person is paid unless he is entitled 
to payment. 
Local Authorities, who deal with people living in their 
respective areas, could of course pay benefit in proper cases 
at least as quickly as Approved Societies, whose members 
may live in any one of the administrative areas of the 
country. 
Whether a payment ought to be made to an insured 
person depends upon the answer to the question, ‘‘ Is this 
person incapable of work owing to illness? ** This question 
is answered, in practice, by a doctor, subject to the right 
of the body through whom payment is made to scrutinise 
the doctor’s certificate, to obtain a further medical opinion, 
and to complain if they think that the doctor has not told 
the truth. 
Now it seems to us that the whole of these proceedings 
are an integral part of the medical service rendered by 
insurance practitioners under their contracts. 
The Commission are unanimous in recommending that 
Insurance Committees should be abolished and that their 
functions should be transferred to Tiocal Authorities, and 
we cannot resist the further conclusion that Local Authori- 
ties could and should take the place of Approved Societies 
as the Authorities through whom sickness and disablement 
benefits should be administered. ° 
(3) In relation to the payment of sums enabling an 
insured person to get an additional benefit :— 
(@) so far as the additional benefits consist in 
increases of the normal benefits, the Approved Society 
is concerned with the points already dealt with; 
(b) so far as the additional benefits are in the nature 
of medical benefit, the interest of the Approved Society 
is, or (as our colleagues agree) ought to be, no more 
extensive. They do not provide the benefits. They 
merely hand over to some of their members, who, if 
properly selected, are so selected on medical grounds, 
money enabling the benefits to be obtained. They are 
not qualified to assess the value of the services rendered 
for the money, and we gather that the business of 
securing a proper return for the sums spent on dental 
and ophthalmic treatment given by way of additional 
benefit is, in fact, receiving the attention of the 
Minister of Health