43. Mrs. Slaterasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the regulations for the payment of post-war credits to include those people who are permanently unemployable due to illness but who have not applied for National Assistance.
Mr. AmoryI shall keep the hon. Lady's suggestion in mind when the time comes to consider a further release of post-war credits.
Mrs. SlaterDoes the Chancellor realise that there are very many people such as the paralysed and the arthritic, who suffer very long periods of sickness and, because of this, are unemployable? Because these people do not, if they can help it, wish to apply for National Assistance, are they not penalised because they may not draw their post-war credits, which would do them a very good turn at the present time?
Mr. AmoryYes, I entirely agree with what the hon. Lady has said, but she will remember that I explained that, in starting this new administrative venture, I felt it absolutely necessary, to start with at any rate, to confine ourselves to to certain readily and precisely defined categories. I said that when they had been dealt with I should then consider whether we could move on to other categories of people who might be suffering just as great hardship.
§ Mr. RemnantDoes my right hon. Friend appreciate that there are personnel in the same category as those described in the Question who are debarred from drawing post-war credits purely because they were classified under National Insurance as self-employed as opposed to being fully employed? Will he bear them in mind?
Mr. AmoryI am not sure that I understand how my hon. Friend's Question could be related to a disability to receive payment of post-war credits in this National Assistance category, but if he would care to get in touch with me I will certainly consider anything he has to say.