INDUSTRIAL INJURIES (COLLIERY WORKERS) (Hansard, 29 March 1955)

§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance (Mr. Ernest Marples)
I beg to move, That the Draft National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) (Colliery Workers Supplementary Scheme) Amendment Order, 1955, a copy of which was laid before this House on 10th March, be approved. Under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act, there is a scheme known as the Colliery Workers Supplementary Scheme, which, in respect of colliery accidents and diseases, provides supplementary benefits for persons receiving benefit under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act. The payment is not made from the Exchequer or the Industrial Injuries Fund. It is made from moneys provided by the Fund, which is formed by contributions from the National Coal Board—which gives 4d. a ton on the total saleable tonnage of deep-mined coal—and of 4d. a week from male employees. The Government Actuary, who acts as the actuary for the scheme, is satisfied that the Fund can carry this burden.
Payments under the scheme have always borne a certain relationship to Industrial Injuries benefits. As the House knows, those benefits have recently been increased. The Order, therefore, increases the supplementary benefits under the scheme to bring them into line with those now current for Industrial Injuries benefit. In other words, it preserves the same relationship and proportion. The representative national committee is responsible for the scheme and has asked for this change. It is uncontroversial and, I think, acceptable and agreeable to the whole House.

§ Mr. Bernard Taylor (Mansfield)
We are obliged to the Parliamentary Secretary for his explanation of the Order. On behalf of my hon. and right hon. Friends, I am glad to say that we not only agree with it but welcome it. As the Parliamentary Secretary has said, this is a national scheme operated by the Coal Board and by the National Union of Mineworkers, and it is subscribed to by both those bodies.
275 It might be appropriate for me to mention that this is the only supplementary scheme under Section 83 of the 1946 Act. While there are altogether more than 20 million Class I insured employees, this is the only industry with less than 750,000 employees to have taken advantage of that Section of the Act.
It was said in another place last week that these proposed increases in benefits from the supplementary scheme would cost about £400,000 in the first year. That gives some idea of the high incidence of accidents in mining. I know that both the National Coal Board and the National Union of Mineworkers are anxious that this change should come into operation when the increased Industrial Injuries benefits take effect on 19th May. Can the Parliamentary Secretary assure us that the administrative arrangements in his Department are so far advanced that the operative date for these payments from the supplementary scheme will be 19th May, the same as in the case of benefits under the Industrial Injuries Scheme? Having made those few observations, I repeat that we on this side welcome the Order and agree with it.

§ Mr. Marples
It is proposed, as from 19th May, that most of the benefits will be paid and, as from 25th April, 1955, it is also proposed to increase the rate of supplementary widow's pension. I think, therefore, that the answer to the hon. Member is that the majority of the benefits will be paid on 19th May.