HL Deb 21 March 1950 vol 166 cc301-3

2.39 p.m.

LORD BADELEY

My Lords. I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask His Majesty's Government why a distinction should have been made by regulation under the National Insurance Act, 1946. between men in the Police Force who served as such before the war and who, because of age, et cetera, were deemed to be "new entrants", and men who left the Police Force for the period of the war and served in the Armed Forces, or who entered the Police Force as recruits prior to July 1948, and who, instead of being classed as "new entrants" are deemed to be insured persons with a defective insurance record; whether these men are being called upon to pay a lump sum of £10 or more in respect of arrears of contributions, and why such arrears were so allowed to accumulate.]

LORD KERSHAW

My Lords, regulations under the National Insurance Act, 1946, provided for insurance under the previous schemes to he taken into account as if it had been under the new scheme where a claim for a corresponding benefit was involved. These arrangements, of course, give substantial advantages to the great majority of insured persons concerned. It is, however, true that where for any reason there was a break in the payment of contributions during the last year of the old health and pension scheme, the benefits of the new scheme could not be made full available unless the missing contributions were made good to the necessary extent. It was open to persons in this position to pay the contributions at the time when they were due, but where they failed to do so they were informed of the accumulated arrears, and as a special concession the time for payment of such arrears was considerably extended.

While certain policemen are known to be in the position indicated, policemen as such are not the subject of any special National insurance regulations. So far as the scheme is concerned, their position is in no way different from that of any other class of previously insured person whose employment or occupation immediately before the start of the new scheme did not make him liable for the payment of health and pensions contributions and who did not take the opportunity given to him to pay the contributions voluntarily as they became due.

LORD BADELEY

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his reply, I would ask whether he cannot, even at this eleventh hour, approach the Minister to see whether some concession can be made in favour of the men in the Police Force who have suffered. Perhaps the noble Lord will convey to the Minister that a great many of these men cannot put their hand in their pocket and produce £10 or £11, and, if they accept the idea of a loan, which is given in some quarters, they will have to pay 4s. a week from their weekly pay packet. In addition, they have to pay for National Insurance, whereas they had a free health service before the Act was passed. What I might call the divesting day—the day on which these arrears have to be paid—is March 31. If the Minister can see her way to granting some concession in favour of the police before that date, the gesture will be appreciated by a Force which has not had many gestures made to it.

LORD KERSHAW

My Lords, I shall be glad to bring the noble Lord's comments to the notice of my right honourable friend, but I can hold out no hope that a distinction will be made in the case of policemen. It will be within the noble Lord's recollection that many other classes of insured persons are in the same position as the policemen.

LORD LLEWELLIN

My Lords, is that true? Did not the policemen have these services before the Act came into force simply because they were policemen? In those days the policeman did not have to pay anything, and he may have accumulated these arrears thinking that he was still in that position. Surely this is an additional reason why some concession might be made.

LORD KERSHAW

My Lords, the attention of these police officers was called to their position in insurance. However, I will bring the point just put forward to the notice of my right honourable friend.