HC Deb 25 July 1946 vol 426 cc354-6

Lords Amendment: In page 37, line 37, leave out "death."

Mr. Lindgren

I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."

This is a drafting Amendment. It enables the benefits as a whole to be considered.

Lords Amendment: In page 37, line 46, at end insert: (7) Where a person has received sums on account of an allowance under the Family Allowances Act, 1945, to which by virtue of this Act he was not entitled by reason of his being entitled to death benefit under section twenty-one thereof subsequently awarded (whether in respect of the same or a different child), those sums shall be treated as paid on account of the death benefit and the amount thereof shall be repaid to the Treasury out of the Industrial Injuries Fund.

Mr. Lindgren

I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."

This again brings the Bill into line with the National Insurance Bill. I can assure the House that it in no way deprives anyone of any benefit. It is an enabling Clause. Where it is found that a family allowance has been paid for a child and that child was entitled to a higher benefit by way of orphan's benefit, that amount of the family allowance can be offset.

Mr. Peake

I confess that I am not clear about this Amendment from the explanation given by the Parliamentary Secretary. As I understand it, this applies to the case of a child who has died, whose parents have continued after the child's death to receive a family allowance. It provides that in such a case, when death benefit comes to be paid in respect of the child, the previously paid family allowance shall be deducted from the benefit and repaid to the Treasury. That is how I understand the matter. I may have got it wrong. I must confess that the Parliamentary Secretary's explanation of it did not clarify the matter so far as I was concerned. Perhaps we can have a little further explanation.

Mr. J. Griffiths

The position will be that we shall continue to pay family allowances, and later, on, admit a higher claim under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Bill. Where the higher claim overlaps with the family allowances, we shall make an adjustment between the two.

Lords Amendment: In page,40, line 5, at end, insert: