§ Mr. Simsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will announce the arrangements by which employers will be reimbursed for payments of statutory maternity pay and compensated for their share of the national insurance contributions paid on them, and the rates of such compensation for both statutory maternity pay and statutory sick pay from 6 April 1987.
§ Mr. MajorThe arrangements for reimbursing employers for their payments of statutory maternity pay and compensating them for the associated secondary (employers') national insurance contributions will be the same as those now operating for statutory sick pay. For the year beginning 6 April 1987 the compensation for secondary national insurance contributions will be at a rate of 7 per cent. of the statutory maternity pay paid to employees. This rate will also apply to payments of statutory sick pay. It has been calculated from estimates of aggregate payments of statutory sick pay and statutory maternity pay in 1987–88 and the total secondary national insurance contributions payable on them.
I have today laid the necessary regulations.