§ 24. Mrs. Castleasked the Minister of National Insurance whether he is yet in a position to announce the appointed day on which increased sickness benefits will be payable under the National Insurance Bill.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsI cannot at present add to what I said on this subject in the course of the Debate on the Third Reading of the National Insurance Bill.
§ Mrs. CastleIs my right hon. Friend aware that some of the people who are trying to manage on the existing sickness benefit rate are really desperate, and will he give them an assurance that they will stand high on his list when he comes to apply the different parts of his insurance scheme?
§ Mr. GriffithsI have received representations on behalf of sick persons, and on behalf of others too, to bring special parts of the new Bill into operation as soon as possible, but I would warn my hon. Friends that if we were to attempt to introduce this legislation piecemeal it would delay the coming into operation of the full scheme, and I think that would be a mistake from everybody's point of view.