§ 38. Mr. HOLMESasked whether insured persons whose cards have not been stamped for some weeks of unemployment or because employers have omitted to stamp them could become qualified to receive benefits by 15th January?
§ Mr. MASTERMANPersons who have been in. insurance for twenty-six weeks, but through temporary unemployment or sickness have not had twenty-six weekly contributions paid in respect of them, may qualify for sickness benefit by paying up the omitted contributions. They can do this by putting stamps in the vacant spaces of their ordinary cards if the omissions have occurred in the current quarter; if they occurred in the previous quarter they should put the necessary stamps on "arrears" cards to be obtained from their societies. An employed person who has been in insurance for the necessary time may similarly qualify for 346 maternity benefit by paying any omitted contributions so long as these are paid before the birth of the child. Medical benefit will be provided as from 15th January for insured persons independently of the time a person has been insured or the number of contributions paid. If the omissions in payment are due not to unemployment but to the fault of the employer, the insured person may, under Section 70 of the Act, recover by civil proceedings the value of any benefit lost. If prosecuted, the employer may under Section 69 of the Act, in addition to any fine inflicted, be required to pay to the Insurance Commissioners a sum equal to the amount of the contribution he had failed to pay, which sum will be taken as a payment in satisfaction of such contributions.
§ 39. Mr. FELLasked what is the explanation of the fact that only 13,000 cards have been received by the National Insurance Commissioners in Ireland; are there some hundreds of thousands of cards in the hands of the Irish approved societies, and, if so, why are they not handed in to the Commisisoners; and if it will be possible to give benefits after the 15th of January to any of these persons whose cards have not been received by the Commissioners?
§ Mr. MASTERMANIt is not the case that only 13,000 cards have been received in Ireland. The Irish deposit contributors' cards, which have now been returned from the Post Offices, amount to about 13,800. The great bulk of the cards of members of approved societies amounting to some hundreds of thousands, have been sent in from the societies, but as they have not all come in yet, their total number cannot be given. The payment of benefits will be made by reference to entries on the societies' registers, and no delay in payment is anticipated.
§ 40. Mr. FELLasked what number of cards have now been received from the approved societies and from the deposit contributors under the National Insurance Act; if the approved societies have entered the names of the contributors in their books with the necessary particulars to enable the benefits to be given after the 15th January; and if any delay in the matter is anticipated?
§ Mr. MASTERMANAbout 480,000 cards have been received from deposit contributors. Approved societies are still sending in their cards, and the numbers cannot, 347 therefore, be given at present. The registers of members and contributions are filled in before the cards are returned, and the reports in the hands of the Commissioners show that societies are completing this work satisfactorily, so that delay in the payment of benefits is not anticipated.
§ Mr. FELLWhy has this delay taken place, because these cards should have been in the hands of the Commissioners in the month of October and we are now within a fortnight of the benefits and still a large proportion have not been received?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe cards were in the hands of the approved societies at the end of October. They had then to make all their arrangements for registration and writing up their books and so on before they could send them in to the Commissioners. No date was fixed for sending them in to the Commissioners.
Mr. WORTHINGTON-EVANSCan the right hon. Gentleman say when he expects those books to be written up in respect of the second quarter?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI do not know, but I should think in a much shorter time, because all the difficult work is the initial work.
§ Mr. JOHN WARDMay we take it that 400,000 represents the total number of deposit contributors so far known both in the United Kingdom and Ireland?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe total of 480,000 represents the number existing in October last, but I think the number has very much decreased owing to deposit contributors joining approved societies.
§ Mr. H. W. FORSTERMay I ask if the societies give no returns as to the number of insured persons?
§ Mr. MASTERMANReturns will be received when the cards are sent in.
§ Mr. FORSTERDo not they make a return when they are sent in?
§ Mr. MASTERMANCertainly.
§ Mr. FORSTERThen why cannot you tell us how many there are?
§ Mr. MASTERMANA large number of societies have sent their cards in, but others have not completed the arrangements necessary to be completed before they send in their cards. As soon as they 348 are received, I shall be very glad to give the hon. Member the information he desires.
§ Mr. FORSTERWhy cannot the right hon. Gentleman tell us how many cards have been sent in?
§ Mr. MASTERMANIt varies from day to day, but I can give the number if the hon. Gentleman puts down a question.
Mr. WORTHINGTON-EVANSDo not the societies make actual returns apart from the cards, and do not they receive payment on account in respect of their numbers, and cannot the right hon. Gentleman say what they are?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI have no returns. I will endeavour to obtain the information the hon. Gentleman requires, but the Commissioners have no returns as to the actual numbers.