§ 27 and 28. Mr. Niall Macphersonasked the Minister of National Insurance (1) on what grounds an application for health benefit in respect of the insured person and his wife is treated as two separate applications;
(2) why insurance benefit in respect of an insured person's wife is refused on the grounds that the insured person inadvertently omits to claim on behalf of her at the time when the application for benefit is made.
§ Dr. SummerskillWhere a claim is made for benefit for a dependant, certain particulars are required which are not needed for the man's own claim, which can be decided without waiting for this information. As the Regulations now allow a month from the date of the main claim in which to claim dependency increases, any inadvertent omission to claim will be brought to the man's notice in good time and difficulties of this kind should no longer occur.
§ Mr. MacphersonThe right hon. Lady said that any original omission will be brought to the man's notice, but in previous correspondence she said that no records were kept in the local offices; how does she propose that such an omission can now be brought to the man's notice?
§ Dr. SummerskillThe hon. Member must have misunderstood my letter. Of course, we have records. The man has to make a claim in the first place and has to tell us who the dependants are. Now we have extended the time limit to a length which will give us ample opportunity to warn him that, if necessary, he should give us further details.
§ Mr. MacphersonIf a man has not made a claim for his dependants or mentioned his dependants, surely the fact that he has omitted to do so should not be taken to indicate that he does not mean to make a claim for his dependants?