HC Deb 30 May 1951 vol 488 cc226-7

At the end of subsection (1) of section twenty-four of the principal Act (which provides for increasing the weekly rate of unemployment benefit, sickness benefit or a retirement pension for any period during which the beneficiary is residing with or is wholly or mainly maintaining his wife who is not engaged in any gainful occupation or occupations from which her weekly earnings exceed twenty shillings), there shall be added, as from the appointed day, the following proviso: Provided that this subsection shall—

  1. (a) in relation to sickness benefit payable for any period during which the beneficiary is residing with his wife and is incapable of self-support, and
  2. (b) in relation to a retirement pension payable for any period during which the beneficiary is residing with his wife,
have effect as if for the reference to twenty shillings there were substituted a reference to forty shillings."—[Dr. Summerskill.]

Brought up, and read the First time.

3.50 p.m.

The Minister of National Insurance (Dr. Edith Summerskill)

I beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."

This new Clause gives effect to an undertaking which I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Pannell), during the Committee stage. My hon. Friend will recollect that before accepting the spirit of his Amendment. I asked him to allow me to find the appropriate form of words. He will see in the new Clause that in defining chronic sickness I have used the words "incapable of self-support." My hon. Friend will recognise, of course, that it is necessary for everyone who has the work of administering this particular Act to be able to define chronic sickness in a uniform manner throughout the country. I have used this phrase because it is defined as meaning: Incapable of self-support by reason of physical or mental infirmity and likely to remain so for a prolonged period. That is the definition in the Act. In practice this has already been interpreted as meaning at least six months; that is, if a man is likely to be sick and incapacitated for work for six months, his wife will be subject to the new earning limit.

My hon. Friend will notice that I have made a further concession. I felt when listening to his speech on the Amendment that he also had in mind the position of the wife married to an old age pensioner—an old age pensioner who was chronically sick but whose wife, younger and more vigorous than he, was out working in order to help the family income. I think that it would be quite unjust to leave that particular woman out of this provision, and therefore I have included the young wife of the old age pensioner. She, of course, will be subject to the same limit as a wife who is married to a man who is chronically sick but not an old age pensioner.

Question put, and agreed to.

Clause read a Second time, and added to the Bill.