§ 8. Mr. Woodnuttasked the Minister of Social Security if she will seek to amend Regulation 4 of the National Insurance 6 Contributions Amendment Regulations 1956 to enable contributors to make good any deficiency in their contributions at any time, as long as they contributed for not less than 10 years.
§ Mr. PentlandNo, Sir. In the cases to which this Regulation applies there is already a time-limit of over six years, which should allow ample latitude in a scheme based on weekly contributions.
§ Mr. WoodnuttBut does not the hon. Gentleman appreciate the appalling anomaly here in that there are many people who paid for 40 years, since long before the war and who, because they have missed a year or two since the war, receive less in pension than people who have paid just for 10 years, 1948–58? I have brought to his attention the case of Mrs. Nisbet. Why cannot she have her full pension? The six-year time limit is quite arbitrary. Why cannot it be 10 years or any period, so long as people make up their contribution deficit?
§ Mr. PentlandI am aware of the case to which the hon. Gentleman refers. The Minister has discretion to extend the normal time limits, including the time limit covered in my reply, in exceptional cases where she is satisfied that failure to keep within the Regulations was due to ignorance or error on the part of the contributor for which he was not at fault.