Sickness Benefit (Hansard, 27 June 1955)

§ 10. Mr. Wade
asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance under what circumstances and for what reasons a person otherwise entitled to sickness benefit is disqualified from receiving it whilst temporarily abroad under doctor's orders for the purposes of recuperation.

§ Mr. Peake
Section 29 (1) (a) of the National Insurance Act, 1946, provides that, in general, an insured person shall be disqualified for receiving benefit for any period when he is absent from Great Britain. This provision is modified in the case of sickness benefit by regulations which provide that the disqualification shall not apply to a person whose absence abroad was for the specific purpose of being treated for incapacity which commenced before he left Great Britain.

§ Mr. Wade
Is it correct that if a patient is sent abroad on doctor's orders on a sea voyage and there is a doctor on the ship in attendance, the patient is entitled to his sickness benefit, but if, as in the case referred to in my previous Question, he goes on a cargo boat and there is no doctor in attendance, he is disqualified from sickness benefit? Is there not some anomaly that should be looked into?

§ Mr. Peake
That may well be the case, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. It has to be drawn so that the Minister can say with certainty whether the conditions for the receipt of benefit are being fulfilled.

13. Mr. B. Taylor
asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the number of persons in the North Midland Region who have been receiving sickness benefit for six months or longer and have been referred for medical examination by his Department during the past 12 months.

§ Mr. Peake
I regret that this information is not available.

Mr. Taylor
The Minister says that he cannot obtain this information. Cases have come to my knowledge where the references for medical examination by his Department are causing apprehension to the long-term sickness cases. Surely he can get the information.

§ Mr. Peake
There is, of course, no longer a distinction between cases of sickness which have lasted for more than six months and those which have lasted for less. Figures are therefore not available on that basis. I can give the hon. Gentleman global figures of references in particular periods, if he would care to have them. I should be happy to discuss any particular case with the hon. Gentleman if he has a particular case in mind.