HC Deb 15 August 1913 vol 56 cc3381-2

"Where a woman confined of a child is herself an insured person and is a married woman or, if the child is a posthumous child, a widow, she shall, in lieu of any sickness or disablement benefit to which she may be entitled under Sub-section (6) of Section eight of the principal Act, be entitled to receive a maternity benefit from the society of which she is a member or the insurance committee, as the case may be, in addition to any maternity benefit to which she may be otherwise entitled in respect of her husband's or her own insurance, and every approved society and insurance committee shall make rules to the satisfaction of the Insurance Commissioners requiring any woman in respect of whom any such sum is payable in respect of her own insurance to abstain from remunerative work during a period of four weeks after her confinement."

Clause brought up, and read the first time.

Mr. THOMAS

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

The object of this Clause is to give the double maternity benefit to the woman who is herself an insured person, and also to remove a difficulty which the Committee generally recognise with regard to the certificate of a midwife being accepted, inasmuch as by this Clause you will now sweep away the four weeks' sick pay that is given during confinement, and you also remove the anomaly that confinement has not been accepted hitherto as an evidence of sickness.

Mr. CASSEL

Would it not affect further sickness benefit after four weeks?

Mr. MASTERMAN

It does not touch that; it is strictly confined to the four weeks of maternity.

Mr. WORTHINGTON-EVANS

Is the right hon. Gentleman quite sure of the statement he last made. In the third line we have the words, she shall in lieu of any sickness or disablement benefit to which she may be entitled … be entitled to receive maternity benefit. Would the maternity benefit swamp her right to sickness benefit for two or three months?

Mr. MASTERMAN

No.

Mr. J. H. THOMAS

That certainly is not the intention here.

Mr. WORTHINGTON-EVANS

I know it is not the intention, but it is worth looking at.

Mr. MASTERMAN

My hon. Friend had an Amendment down in this respect in different words, but we asked him to move it in this form, and I understand this point is completely safeguarded.

Question put, and agreed to. Clause added to the Bill.