§ 31. Mr. Millanasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will supply details of how the figure of £1,619,000 to be retained in 1962–63 by his Department in respect of the collection of National Health Service contributions is made up.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe figure of £1,619,000 is the proportionate share of the expenses incurred by my Department in the collection of flat-rate contributions.
§ Mr. MillanIf, as the right hon. Gentleman said in reply to a Question from me last week, the additional cost of collecting these contributions is, in fact, very small, why should the National Health Service be deprived of this quite substantial sum of money?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterBecause it seems reasonable to allocate the cost of collection in proportion with the amounts collected, whether for the National Health Service, on the one hand, or for Industrial Injuries and National Insurance, on the other.
§ Mr. RossWas there any increase of costs at all to the Minister's Department when the last increase in relation to the National Health Service contribution was made?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterA very small one, if any. As I think the hon. Gentleman understands, the point is that when a large sum of money is being collected the fair thing to do is to allocate the cost in proportion to the amount collected.