§ Not amended (in the Standing Committee) considered,
| Section 15 (2) | Maximum amount of increase of weekly rate of disablement pension where constant attendance is needed— | ||
| (a) in cases other than those of exceptionally severe disablement, | twenty shillings | twenty-five shillings | |
| (b) in cases of exceptionally severe disablement | forty shillings | fifty shillings |
§ This Amendment follows on the undertaking which I gave in the Standing Committee. Hon. Members will recall that one of the main provisions of the Bill is to raise the rate of benefit under the National Insurance and industrial injuries insurance schemes by approximately 25 per cent. These rates for constant attendance are not fixed. They are maximum figures which may be granted in any special case. There are two constant attendance rates; 20s. weekly which is the ordinary rate, and 40s. weekly which is granted in cases of exceptionally severe disablement.
§ Broadly speaking, the difference between the two cases, where the two different maxima apply are that in the second class of case the injured person is completely unable to perform even the smallest function or action without some assistance. It has been suggested that as the cost of everything has gone up since 1948 we should be well advised to make an increase in these rates corresponding to the general average of the other improvements which we are making in the insurance rate and in the benefits for industrial injuries.
§ A further point about this Amendment is that it will apply not only to cases under the industrial injuries insurance scheme but also to a number of old cases which come under the Workmen's Compensation Acts. In that way we shall be able to do a little more for some of the hardest and most severe cases of industrial disability which have occurred in the past.
§ Mr. Bernard Taylor (Mansfield)The right hon. Gentleman intimated during the Committee stage that he would look at this question to see what he could do, and we are reminded that this