§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1), in view of the fact that industrial injury benefit is designed to compensate employees for short-term loss of earning due to accidents at work, and that no other national insurance benefit serves the same basic purpose, if she will amend the National Insurance (Overlapping Benefits) Regulations so that payments of injury benefits are no longer offset against widows' and retirement pensions;
(2) if she will take responsibility for the situation in which a pensioner may now earn up to £13 per week without loss of pension, but may not receive any industrial injury benefit resulting from an accident at such work without suffering a corresponding reduction in pension, in spite of paying compulsory industrial injuries contributions.
§ Mr. O'MalleyIt has always been a basic principle of the national insurance schemes that double provision should not24W be made for the same contingency, and the rates of contributions are worked out on the assumption that this is so. Injury benefit, widow's pension and retirement pension are all maintenance benefits which serve the same basic purpose and the regulations therefore prevent duplication between them. If the national insurance pension rate is less than the injury benefit rate the balance is payable.