64. Captain MURRAYasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether it was proposed that officers of Customs and Excise should undertake certain duties in connection with the administration of the National Insurance Act; and, if so, what was the nature of those duties?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The main duties of these officers will be the dissemination of general information about the Act, preliminary work in connection with claims for exemption certificates, and dealing with questions as to the rate of remuneration as affecting the contributions payable by the employer and employé respectively under Section 66 of the Act.
Captain MURRAYWill these officers receive extra remuneration for the work they are called upon to undertake?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThere has been a recent revision of pay and conditions in which these extra duties have been taken into consideration. There is also being made at present a very substantial increase in the number of the staff.
§ Mr. JAMES HOPEIs the hon. Gentleman aware that in many cases the men are already grossly over-worked?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI am aware of the conditions under which these men work, and I think there will be no difficulty in their carrying out these duties.
§ Mr. RAFFANWill clerical assistance he given where it would be useful?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI should like to have notice of that. Perhaps some arrangement of that sort might be made.
§ Mr. BOYTONWill these officers also continue their work under the Old Age Pensions Act?
§ Mr. MASTERMANCertainly.
§ Mr. LYELLWill these new duties be merely temporary to bring the Act into force, or will they be permanent?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe great bulk of the work we expect to be purely temporary in character.