HC Deb 16 February 1971 vol 811 cc404-5W
Mr. Pavitt

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the properties controlled by the Central Middlesex Group Hospital Management Committee, the use to which they are now put and this estimate of their current value.

Mr. Alison

The properties administered by the Central Middlesex Group Hospital Management Committee and their current uses are as follow:

(2) what is his estimate of the additional graduated pensions contribution paid by some monthly salary earners arising from the system of refusing to allow the earnings to be correctly apportioned and calculated on a one-weekly basis;

(3) if he will review the system whereby some monthly salary earners have their graduated pension contributions calculated in such a way as to cost them more than would be the case if they were paid the same amounts but on a weekly basis; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Dean

I see no reason to review the system by which remuneration paid monthly is treated as a single payment for the calculation of graduated contributions.

If the hon. Member is referring to cases where a person has two employments with the same employer and receives two sets of remuneration payable at different regular intervals, e.g., one weekly and the other monthly, the liability is governed by provisions of the National Insurance Act, 1965 and regulations made under it. The general effect of these provisions is that where a person receives weekly remuneration the liability is to be calculated on a weekly basis and any other payments are to be aggregated with the weekly payment of the week in which they are made, unless it is impracticable to do so. A general rule requiring such payments to be treated separately for the purpose of liability would create more anomalies than it would remove.

No estimate is available of the number of people affected in this way, nor of the amount of graduated contributions collected in such cases.

I am writing to the hon. Member about the particular case which he has referred to me.