HC Deb 30 November 1911 vol 32 cc719-26

(1) For the purpose of providing seamen, marines, and soldiers with such benefits during their term of service and after their return to civil life as are hereinafter in this Section mentioned, there shall be deducted from the pay of every seaman and marine within the meaning of the Naval and Marine Pay and Pensions Act, 1865, and of every soldier of the regular forces (other than soldiers of His Majesty's Indian Forces, who are natives of India, the Royal Malta Artillery, and native soldiers of any regiment raised outside the United Kingdom), the sum of one penny halfpenny a week, and there shall be contributed by the Admiralty and the Army Council respectively, out of moneys provided by Parliament for navy and army services, in respect of every such seaman, marine, and soldier who has joined an approved society in the manner hereafter mentioned the sum of one penny halfpenny per week, and in respect of every other such seaman, marine, and soldier such sum per week as may be prescribed:

Provided that no such deduction shall be made from the pay of a seaman, marine or soldier who has completed the period of his first engagement and has re-engaged for pension unless he so elects within the prescribed time, and that no contribution shall be made by the Admiralty or Army Council in respect of any week in respect of which such a deduction is not made.

(2) A seaman, marine, or soldier—

  1. (a) who was at the date of his entry or enlistment an insured person and had joined and was at that date a member of an approved society; or
  2. (b) who within six months from the date of his entry or enlistment, or, in the ease of a seaman, marine, or soldier serving at the commencement of this Act, within six months after the commencement of this Act, or within such longer period as may be prescribed, joins an approved society for the purposes of this Part of this Act;
shall for the purposes of this Part of this Act be treated as if he were an employed contributor, subject, until his discharge, in the following modifications:—
  1. (i) The employed rate shall be three pence, and the deductions made from his pay and the contributions made in respect of him by the Admiralty or Army Council shall be treated as the contributions paid in respect of him;
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  2. (ii) He shall not be entitled under this Part of this Act to medical benefit, sanatorium benefit, sickness benefit, or disablement benefit;
  3. (iii) Maternity benefit shall be payable notwithstanding that both he and his wife are resident outside the United Kingdom at the date of the confinement, and the society may arrange with the Admiralty or Army Council for the administration of the benefit through the Admiralty or Army Council;
  4. (iv) The sum to be retained out of each weekly contribution by the Insurance Commissioners towards the discharge of their liabilities in respect of reserve values shall be one penny, and the remaining five-ninths of a penny shall be paid out of the Navy and Army Insurance Fund hereinafter constituted.

(3) With respect to seamen, marines, and soldiers who have not joined an approved society as aforesaid, the following provisions shall have effect:—

  1. (a) The sums so deducted and the contributions so made as aforesaid in respect of such men shall be paid into the National Health Insurance Fund, and out of such sums there shall be retained by the Insurance Commissioners towards discharging their liabilities in respect of the reserve values created under this Part of this Act the like amount as if such men were members of approved societies, and the balance shall be credited to a special fund to be called the Navy and Army Insurance Fund:
  2. (b) There shall also be paid into the Navy and Army Insurance Fund in each year out of moneys provided by Parliament a sum equal to two-ninths of the amount, calculated in the prescribed manner, which would have been payable in that year in respect of medical sanatorium sickness and disablement benefits (including expenses of administration) had all seamen, marines, and soldiers from whose pay deductions are made under this Section been members of approved societies and entitled to such benefits as employed contributors:
  3. (c) The weekly contributions to be made by the Admiralty and Army Council 722 in respect of such men shall be such as may from time to time be required to keep the Navy and Army Insurance Fund solvent:
  4. (d) If any such man was at the date of his entry or enlistment a deposit contributor he shall, for the purpose of dealings with the sum standing to his credit in the Post Office fund, be treated as if the Navy and Army Insurance Fund had been an approved society, and he had at the date of his entry or enlistment become a member of that society:
  5. (e) In the case of a seaman, marine, or soldier serving at the commencement of this Act there shall be credited to the Navy and Army Insurance Fund such reserve value as would have been credited to an approved society had he at that date become a member of the society as an employed contributor: Provided that no such reserve value shall be credited to that fund if at the date aforesaid he had re-engaged for pension, unless he elects to have deductions made from his pay or unless, not having so elected, he becomes on discharge entitled to benefits payable out of that fund as hereinafter mentioned:
  6. (f) Every such man shall until discharged be entitled to maternity benefit payable out of the Navy and Army Insurance Fund, and shall be entitled to such benefit notwithstanding that both he and his wife are at the date of the confinement resident outside the United Kingdom, and the benefit shall be ad ministered by the Admiralty and Army Council either directly or through local health committees:
  7. (g) On the discharge of a seaman, marine, or soldier, from whose pay deductions have been made and continue to be made up to the date of his discharge there shall be debited to the Navy and Army Insurance Fund, and if he becomes a member of an approved society within the prescribed time from his discharge there shall be credited to that society, or if he does not become a member of such a society within the prescribed time from his discharge, there shall, unless he becomes entitled to benefits out of the Navy and Army Insurance Fund as hereinafter mentioned, be carried to his 723 credit in the Post Office fund the transfer value which would have been payable in respect of him had he been a member of an approved society during his period of service, and in the latter case the reserve value, if any, credited to the Navy and Army Investment Fund in respect of him shall be cancelled:
  8. (h) a man discharged from service as a seaman, marine, or soldier who proves that the state of his health is such that he cannot obtain admission to an approved society may, if he so elects, on making application to the Insurance Commissioners in the prescribed manner and within three months of his discharge, or such longer time as may be prescribed, become, subject to regulations made by the Insurance Commissioners after consultation with the Admiralty and Army Council, entitled to benefits (other than additional benefits) prescribed under this Part of this Act at the full rate, the cost of which benefits shall be payable out of the Navy and Army Insurance Fund, and such benefits shall be administered by local health committees or otherwise in such manner as may be prescribed by such regulations as aforesaid, and any contributions paid under this Part of this Act by or in respect of him shall be paid into that fund:

Provided that—

  1. (i.) no deduction from benefits shall be made on account of any pension to which a man may be entitled;
  2. (ii.) the rate of sickness benefit shall be reduced, in the case of a man who entered into insurance after the age of sixteen or who is in arrears, to the like extent as it would be reduced in the case of an employed contributor who is a member of an approved society who entered into insurance at the like age or who is in arrears to the like extent, so however that the rate of sickness benefit shall in no case be reduced below five shillings a week;
  3. (iii.) there shall in each year be repaid to the special fund, out of moneys provided by Parliament, a sum equal to two-ninths of the amount expended out of the fund on such benefits as aforesaid, including the expenses of administration.

(4) In the application of this Part of this Act to a man who is or has been a seaman, marine, or soldier, and to whom this section applies—

  1. (i.) the date of his entry or enlistment as a seaman, marine, or soldier, or, if he was serving at the commencement of this Act, the date of that commencement, shall, unless he was an insured person at the date of his entry or enlistment, be treated as the date of his entry into insurance;
  2. (ii.) deductions from pay, with the corresponding contributions made by the Admiralty and Army Council, shall be treated as payments of contributions at the employed rate for the purpose of reckoning the number of contributions made in respect of him, arrears, and transfer value, and for the purpose of qualifications for becoming a voluntary contributor.

(5) Discharge shall in the case of a seaman, marine, or soldier who on the completion of any term of service is transferred to a reserve include such transfer.

(6) The foregoing provisions of this section shall, subject to such adaptations and modifications as may be prescribed, apply to men belonging to the Naval Reserve when employed on service during war, and to men of the Army Reserves when called out on permanent service, and to men of the Territorial Force when called out on embodiment or any emergency, but, except as aforesaid, shall not apply to any such men.

(7) Where a man of the Naval Reserves, the Army Reserve, or the Territorial Force is being trained and is in receipt of pay out of the moneys provided by Parliament for Navy or Army services, he shall for the purposes of this Part of this Act be deemed whilst so engaged to be in the employment of the Crown.

Amendments made: In Sub-section (1), leave out the words "who are natives of India."

In Sub-section (2), paragraph (ii.) leave out the words "under this Part of the Act."

In Sub-section (3), after the word "he" ["unless he elects"], insert the words "had completed the period of his first engagement and."

In paragraph (g), leave out the word "during" ["during his period of service"], and insert instead thereof the word "throughout."

After the word "service" ["period of service"], insert the words "or in the case of a man serving at the date of the commencement of this Act since that date."

Leave out the words "in the latter case," and insert instead thereof the words "if he becomes a deposit contributor."

After the word "case" ["in the latter case"], insert the words "so much of."

Leave out the word "Investment" ["Army Investment Fund"], and insert instead thereof the word "Insurance."

After the word "cancelled" ["shall be cancelled"], insert the words "as would have been cancelled had he been transferred from an approved society to the Post Office fund."

In paragraph (h), leave out the word "and" ["and within three months."]

In paragraph (ii.), leave out the word "after" ["after the age of sixteen"], and insert the words "when over."

Leave out the words "in the case of" ["reduced in the case of"], and insert instead thereof the words "had he been."

Leave out the words "who is" ["who is a member"], and insert instead thereof the word "and."

In paragraph (iii.), leave out the word "special" ["special fund"], and insert instead thereof the words "Navy and Army Insurance."

In paragraph (iii.), at end, add, (iv.) If a man who is so entitled to benefits payable out of the Navy and Army Insurance Fund at any time becomes a member of an approved society for the purposes of this Part of this Act he shall cease to be entitled to benefits payable out of that fund, and there shall be debited to that fund and credited to such society the transfer.

In Sub-section (4), paragraph (ii.), at end, add, (iii.) a seaman, marine, or soldier during his term of service shall, if he has joined an approved society as aforesaid before his entry or enlistment, be deemed to reside in that part of the United Kingdom in which he resided immediately before his entry or enlistment, or, if after his entry or enlistment, in the part of the United Kingdom in which the registered office or other principal place of business of the society or branch which he has joined is situate, and in any other case in England, and all persons entitled to benefits payable out of the Navy and Army Insurance Fund shall be deemed to reside in England.

In Sub-section (5), at end, add, (6) This section shall not apply to a seaman, marine, or soldier who entered or enlisted before the age of sixteen until he attains that age, and on attaining that age shall apply to him as if he had entered or enlisted at the time when he attained that age.—[Mr. Lloyd George.]