§ Mr. JOELasked the Minister of Health the number of cases brought to the notice of his Department in the last 12 months of failure on the part of employers to give effect to the law affecting payment of national health insurance contributions; and what action, if any, has been taken in such cases?
§ Sir K. WOODThere is a regular system of inspection by the Department's inspectors to ensure that employers generally are complying with the law. In addition, some cases of failure to comply with the regulations come in various 1341W other ways to the notice of my Department, in all of which investigations are made and steps taken to obtain payment of contributions. Figures of the total number of cases during the past 12 months are not available. Where circumstances make it necessary, legal proceedings are instituted against defaulting employers, and during the year 1935 there were 1,439 such prosecutions.