46. Colonel BURNasked the Prime Minister whether His Majesty's Government have considered the desirability of consolidating various provisions relating to compensation to workpeople in respect to accidents, industrial disease, and sick- 1365 ness under the National Insurance Act so as to avoid overlapping and excessive cost of administration?
§ Major ASTORThere are fundamental differences between the present statutory provisions relating to compensation for accidents and industrial diseases and those dealing with insurance against sickness, which would make any such consolidation as is suggested in the question a matter of considerable difficulty. There is already provision against overlapping between National Health Insurance and workmen's compensation under Section 11 of the National Insurance Act, 1911.