Mr. F. HALLasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what friendly societies were consulted in drawing up the Bill to amend the National Insurance Act; and whether the provisions of that Bill have been framed with due regard to the defects which have been found in practice by the friendly societies to exist in the original Act?
§ Mr. MASTERMANIn preparing the Amending Bill the Insurance Commissioners and myself invited to conferences the chief representatives of all types of approved societies. On 5th May (the date which has been announced by a clerical error as 6th June) we conferred with a number of representative officials of friendly societies, including the president, the ex-president, the vice-president, and the secretary of the National Conference, of Friendly Societies (one of whom was a director and Parliamentary agent of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows). On 1st May we conferred with representatives of trade unions, on 6th June with representatives of women's trade unions, on 18th June with further representatives of women's interests, and on 23rd June with representatives of Holloway Dividing and Deposit Societies. We also invited suggestions from the industrial assurance companies, and other conferences and frequent communications on particular points have been held with officials of approved societies. At all these conferences suggested amendments to the Act were fully discussed. The conferences were necessarily limited to a few persons, and were confidential in character, for I have had to remember that the House of Commons desires that proposals for new legislation shall not be given publicity before they have been submitted to the House.