§ Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALDasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether it is proposed not to include married women outworkers who are wives of insured persons in the operation of the National Insurance Act; whether this is contrary to the reports of the outworkers' committee, and not in accordance with the bulk of the evidence submitted to that committee; whether, before coming to this decision, the Treasury and the Commissioners considered the industrial effect of putting such a substantial premium upon the selection of married outworkers by middlemen and others who give out work; and whether, before coming to a final decision in this matter, this House will have an opportunity of expressing its opinion?
§ Mr. MASTERMANMarried women outworkers who are wives of insured persons and not mainly dependent for their livelihood on their employment as outworkers are specifically excluded from compulsory insurance by paragraph (j) of Part II. of the First Schedule of the Act. They could only be brought in under the general power given in Section 1 of the Act to bring into compulsory insurance persons excepted in the Schedule by special order. It is doubtful if in this provision Parliament designed that such special orders should be made before the Act actually comes into operation. The 1980W problems connected with the application of the Act to outworkers and any regulations which may be desirable will be discussed by the Advisory Committee tomorrow, and until that is done I would defer making any further statement on the matter.