§ 3.28 p.m.
§ LORD CHESHAM rose to move, That the draft National Insurance (Mariners) Amendment Regulations, 1957, be 1324 approved. The noble Lord said: My Lords, with the leave of the House and for your Lordships' convenience as well as my own in trying to make brief and simple, as best I can, a matter which is somewhat complicated, I should like to speak about both sets of regulations standing in my name on the Order Paper. The Amending Regulations (which we hope to bring into operation on 3rd February, 1958) achieve two things. They alter the amount of the National Insurance contribution paid by a ship-owner for a foreign-going seaman who is not domiciled in the United Kingdom from three-fifths of the employer's share of a normal National Insurance contribution to one half. Secondly, they increase the reduction in the amount of the National Insurance contribution paid by a shipowner for a foreign-going seaman who is domiciled in the United Kingdom from 5½d. to 8d. for adults on the National Insurance side and ½d. to 1d. on the Industrial Injuries side.
§ Your Lordships are of course aware that the rates of National Insurance contributions and benefits are shortly to be substantially increased. There have been, for very many years, rules for reducing the amount of contributions paid by ship-owners because they are obliged, under the Merchant Shipping Acts, to provide certain services for seamen aboard ship. For instance, they have to provide free medical attention and maintenance while seamen are sick or injured, and it therefore follows that the liability to pay sickness benefit and injury benefit from the National Insurance Funds is correspondingly reduced. The reduction was fixed at 6d. in 1948 on the suggestion of the Government Actuary, and having since remained unchanged, the reduction is now to be brought up to date in the light of the forthcoming changes in National Insurance contributions. The reduction proposed is 11d. Eightpence of this is granted in the National Insurance Regulations, 1d. in the Industrial Injuries Regulations and the remaining 2d. has already been granted in National Health Service Regulations which came into force on September 2.
§ The Regulations have been placed in draft before the Shipping Federation, which represents owners, and the National Maritime Board, which represents owners 1325 and trade unions. Both these organisations have confirmed that the proposals are acceptable to them. Accordingly I hope that, with this explanation, your Lordships will approve these Regulations. I beg to move that the first of them be now approved.
§ Moved, That the draft National Insurance (Mariners) Amendment Regulations, 1957, be approved.—(Lord Chesham.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.