§ Major Beamishasked the Minister of Health what compensation, apart from National Health Insurance benefit, is payable to people who are required to stay away from work because they have been in contact with persons suffering from infectious diseases; how many local authorities have powers to pay compensation in these circumstances; whether he is satisfied with these arrangements; and whether he is aware of the anxiety caused to a number of people who, because their local authority is not empowered to pay compensation, are only able to draw sickness benefit in place of their normal earnings.
§ Mr. TurtonThere is no general power either to pay compensation or to require a person to cease work in these circumstances: 372 local authorities are known to have powers under local Acts to pay 41W compensation when a person ceases work at the authority's request: I am now considering the position further in consultation with the associations of local authorities.