§ MR. COCHRANE (Ayrshire, N.)To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can now furnish the information promised by him showing what will be the estimated additional cost of insurance in the coal, ironstone, mining, engineering, shipbuilding, and textile industries respectively, resulting from the reduction of the qualifying period in Clause 1 of the Workmen's Compensation 395 Bill from fourteen to three days; and if he can also give the cost of reduction from fourteen to three days.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) The following are the estimates which have been put before me of the additional cost which would result, in the industries mentioned, from the reduction of the qualifying period of fourteen days to seven or three days; but various
| Reduction of 14 days to 3 days. | Reduction of 14 days to 7 days. | |
| Coal mining | 25 to 38 per cent. (Not including increase in administrative expenses) | 12 to 17 per cent. (Not including increase in administrative expenses) |
| Ironstone mining | 18 per cont. | 8 per cent. |
| Engineering | 48 per cent. | 25 ½ per cent. |
| Shipbuilding | 38¾ per cent. | 21½, per cent. |
| Textile industries | 35* per cent. | 30* per cent. |
| *The figures on which the estimate for the textile industry is based do not, I understand, include fatal accidents. If fatal accidents were included this estimate would, of course, be lessened. |
§ I may mention, as showing the varying nature of such estimates, that in the case of certain coalfields in one part of the country I have received an estimate according to which the increase in cost resulting from the reduction of fourteen days to three would be almost 80 per cent.