§ 12. Mr. Leaveyasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what improvement has been made in the benefit and allowances payable to sick or unemployed men for children since the introduction of the National Insurance Scheme; and how this compares with the increase in the Retail Price Index.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterIn July, 1948, when the National Insurance Scheme was introduced, the benefit paid to a sick or unemployed man for three children, including family allowances, was 17s. 6d. a week. The corresponding figure at present is 36s. 6d. a week, an increase of over 100 per cent. as compared with an increase in the Retail Price Index of 47.9 per cent.
§ Mr. LeaveyWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for that reply, which indicates that there have been substantial benefits to parents in this increase, may I ask whether there is the same beneficial relationship between the increased benefits and the increased contributions, both of which were changed in 1955?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe increased benefits, which, of course, include family allowances, which are not themselves related to contributions, are substantially larger than the increased contributions.