§ Sir C. RAWSONasked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the hardship of an old age pensioner being under the necessity to make a fresh application for a pension after being an inmate of a Poor Law institution for medical or surgical treatment for a period exceeding six months; and whether it would he possible, on the withdrawal of the book, for the pension officer to issue an emergency form to the master of the institution in which the pensioner is an inmate, and for such form to be handed to the pensioner on his discharge and be available for one payment, and for a new book to be issued to the pensioner immediately on production of the emergency form at the pension issue office?
Mr. SAMUELI would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to a similar question asked by the hon. Member for Newcastle-on-Tyne, East (Mr. Connolly) on 15th November.
§ Sir N. GRATTAN-DOYLEasked the Minister of Health the estimated cost of pensions of £2 a week to insured workers at 60 years of age?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI assume that by the words "insured workers" my hon. Friend refers to insured persons inclusive of those who by reason of sickness, unemployment and old age are not working at the present time. Discrimination within the class of insured persons is, of course, impossible, and the cost of a pension of £2 a week to the class is estimated, approximately, at £160,000,000 a year. If, however, this pension were to be substituted for the pensions to insured persons and their wives under the existing system, and if the sickness and disablement benefits of National Health insurance were discontinued at the age of 60, the new cost would be about £130,000,000 a year. This sum2482W would steadily increase for a long period with the growth of the insured population at the higher ages.