Catalogue description Records of Consultative Councils

Section 4 of the Ministry of Health Act, 1919, enacted as follows:-

• (1) It shall be lawful for His Majesty by Order in Council to establish consultative councils in England and Wales for giving, in accordance with the provisions of the Order, advice and assistance to the Minister in connection with such matters affecting or incidental to the health of the people as may be referred to in such Order.
• (2) Every such council shall include women as well as men and shall consist of persons having practical experience of the matters referred to the council

The Ministry of Health (Consultative Councils) Order, 1919 and the Ministry of Health (Welsh Consultative Councils) Order, 1919, were approved on 18th August, 1919. These Orders set up Councils to deal with:-

• 1) Medical and Allied Services.
• 2) National Health Insurance (Approved Societies' Work).
• 3) Local Health Administration.
• 4) General Health Questions.

The members of each council were appointed by the Minister of Health, and the Orders made provision for a proportion of the members to retire each year.

The Ministry of Health (Consultative Councils) Amendment Order, 1923, enabled the membership of the Council on National Health Insurance to be increased to a maximum number of forty. Membership of the other Councils was not to exceed twenty, as laid down in the principal Order.

In Wales only one Council was set up, but it was constituted in such a way as to cover all four subjects, it was discontinued after 1924.

After 1921 the councils on medical and allied services, local health administration and general health questions ceased to meet without being formally dissolved. The Consultative Council on National Health Insurance replaced the Advisory Committee of the National Health Insurance Joint Committee. It was transferred to the Ministry of National Insurance in 1945.