§ Mr. Wainwrightasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will take steps to enable all women over the age of 60 years, who now have to pay contributions under the graduated pension scheme, and upon their retirement do not qualify for any benefits under that scheme, to have refunded the total amount of the contributions they have paid.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterNo. Under the National Insurance Act, 1959, graduated contributions amounting to less than a unit—which for a woman is £9—are dealt with by rounding to the nearest unit and not by way of refund.