27. Mr. WORTHINGTON-EVANSasked whether the sum of £1,405,200 appearing in the Civil Services Estimates, Class VIII., as the proportion of benefits and expenses of administration for England, chargeable to money provided by Parliament under the National Insurance Act for the year 1912–13, is based upon the advice of the Government actuary; and why it exceeds the sum of £998,000, the amount of the actuary's estimate contained in Cd. 5983 of the charge for 1912–13, in respect of the State proportion of maximum benefits and the cost of administration?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The sum of £998,000 shown in Messrs. Hardy and Wyatt's final report is the estimated amount of the liabilities to be incurred in the period from 1st July, 1912, to 31st March, 1913, in respect of the benefits, expenses of administration, etc., under the Act. The Estimate, however, has to provide for the charges coming in course of payment within the financial year. It has therefore to include provision for the State proportion of the sanatorium benefit and medical benefit for the whole of the calendar year 1913, since the sums payable in respect of these benefits for the whole of the year are required by the Act to be paid or credited to the Insurance Committees at the beginning of the year. On the other hand, it includes no provision in respect of the State proportion of sickness, disablement and maternity benefits, and of the administrative expenses of societies in the first quarter of the calender year 1913, since the Grants in respect of this expenditure will only be made in respect of any quarter after the accounts for that quarter have been made up, and will not therefore come in course of payment until after the 31st March next.