HC Deb 15 August 1913 vol 56 cc3341-3

"At the end of the first paragraph of Sub-section (1) of Section eighteen of the principal Act the following words shall be inserted:— Provided always that for the purpose of this Section the husband of an insured woman shall not be considered an insured person unless he is entitled to maternity benefit on the confinement of his wife.

Clause brought up, and read the first time.

Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTT

I beg to move, "That the Clause be read a second time."

It deals with the administration of the maternity benefit. It deals with the case of a married woman who is herself insured. If her husband is not insured, then she is entitled to both sickness and maternity benefit. But if her husband is insured, it is possible, under conceivable circumstances, she may be deprived of the maternity benefit. In ordinary circumstances, if the husband is insured, the benefit is treated as the husband's benefit, and administered by the society under Section 18. If, therefore, the husband is in arrears, or if he has not paid his twenty-six contributions, or if, by some means, the husband, although an insured person, is not entitled to maternity benefit, then a married woman, who is separately insured and has paid all her contributions, is deprived of the maternity benefit, which she would have enjoyed if the husband had been insured. The object of my Amendment is simply to secure that where the husband is an insured person he shall not be considered, for the purposes of this Section, an insured person, unless he is actually entitled to maternity benefit.

Mr. MASTERMAN

This new Clause arises out of the Debate in the House of Commons in which the hon. Gentleman who raised the point was able to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the House, that some injustice was being done in a very few cases—perhaps in only one case in the year. But still, having a Scottish mind, he is determined there shall be no injustice, however small. I accept the substance of the Clause, and I only suggest to the hon. Member that he shall accept the Amendments which stand in the name of the hon. Member for Deptford (Mr. Bowerman), who has a similar Clause on the Paper, Amendments which merely put in accurate drafting form the substance of what he desires.

Question put, and agreed to.

Amendments made: Leave out the words "the first paragraph of."

Leave out the words, "Provided always that for the purpose of this Section the husband of an insured woman shall not be considered an insured person unless he is entitled to maternity benefit on the confinement of his wife," and insert instead thereof the words, "Where a woman who is an employed contributor is the wife of an insured person, then

  1. (a) if her husband is a member of an approved society, and by reason of an insufficient number of contributions having been paid by or in respect of, him, or on account of arrears no maternity benefit is payable in respect of his insurance, she shall, on her confinement, be entitled to receive in respect of her own insurance such sum as she would have been entitled to receive if he had not been an insured person: and
  2. (b) if her husband is a deposit contributor and by reason of an insufficient number of contributions having been paid by or in respect of him or of the insufficiency of the sum standing to his 3343 credit in the Deposit Contributors' Fund no maternity benefit or a sum less than the full maternity benefit is payable in respect of his insurance, she shall on her confinement be entitled to receive, in respect of her own insurance, such sum as, with the sum (if any) payable in respect of her husband's insurance, is equal to the sum she would have been entitled to receive if he had not been an insured person."

Question, "That the Clause, as amended, be added to the Bill," put, and agreed to.