MR. HERBERTI beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to a scheme of compulsory national insurance propounded by the late Canon Blackley, 1079 the object of which is to compel every person, by payments made prior to attaining twenty-one years of age, to provide for himself sick pay and a pension for old age; and whether he will consider the advisability of inaugurating some such scheme, while applying his own scheme for old-age pensions to persons already above the age when payments under Canon Blackley's scheme would commence.
§ MR. ASQUITHThe main provisions of Canon Blackley's scheme are familiar to me. I cannot at this stage make any announcement as to the proposals in regard to old-age pensions which the Government will lay before this House.