§ Sir K. WOODI beg to move, in page 19, line 9, after "arrears," to insert:
and in paragraph (b) of the said Subsection (5) for the words '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 credit in the Deposit Contributors' Fund.'The present wording applies only to wives of members of approved societies. The purpose of this Amendment is to extend the advantages of the scheme to the insured wives of deposit contributors.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§
Further Amendment made: In page 19, line 15, at the end, insert:
In Sub-section (2),'payable' shall be substituted for 'to be paid.'"—[Sir K. Wood.]
§ 8.13 p.m.
§ Sir K. WOODI beg to move, in page 19, line 15, after the words last inserted, to insert:
Section 20.—The following paragraph shall be substituted for paragraph (d) of Sub-section (1), that is to say:—(d) in the case of a ship registered in one country the owner of which resides or has his principal place of business in the other, for determining in what cases contributions payable 114 in respect of persons employed on the ship are to be payable under the enactments relating to national health insurance in force in one country, and in what cases they are to be payable under those enactments in force in the other.'This Amendment meets a point made by the hon. Gentleman on the Second Reading of the Bill with reference to the position of certain seamen. It is agreed that it is desirable to allow steps to be taken for removing disabilities which at present operate against certain seamen resident in the United Kingdom and employed on packet boats between this country and the Irish Free State owned in this country but registered in the Free State. Their contributions are payable under enactments in force in the Free State. The result is that the men have no rights under the contributory pension scheme in this country and, because they are resident here, they are not for any practical purposes insured persons for health insurance under the Free State scheme. We have been endeavouring to deal with this matter by certain administrative arrangements, and we now desire to put the matter on a proper footing. The Clause is dependent on an agreement with the Irish Free State, but I have reason to think that, if it is approved by this House, we shall be able to make some reasonable reciprocal arrangement with that country.
§ Sir K. WOODI hope that that will be so.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Schedule, as amended, agreed to.