§ 55. Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many self-employed contributors claimed sickness benefits in each of the last five years; and what proportion of the total number of self-employed contributors that number of claimants represented.
§ Mr. O'MalleyFigures are not available for the total number of self-employed persons claiming incapacity benefits in the course of any year. The following, however, are the numbers of self-employed persons who were incapacitated for work on a particular day in May/June in each of the last five years for which figures are available, and the numbers of self-employed contributors at the same point in time:
Date Self-employed persons incapacitated for work Self-employed population at risk at the end of May 31st May 1969 … 53,000 1,458,000 30th May 1970 … 51,000 1,458,000 5th June 1971 … 50,000 1,496,000 3rd June 1972 … 55,000* 1,543,000 2nd June 1973 … 54,000* 1,566,000 * Includes those receiving invalidity pension (the longterm counterpart of sickness benefit) which was introduced on 23rd September 1971.
§ 57. Mr. Newtonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will make a statement on the plans for provision of an earnings related benefit for the self-employed.
§ Mrs. CastleAs I announced in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury and Radcliffe (Mr. White) on 26th February—[Vol. 887, c.157–8]—we are re-examining the problems involved in establishing for the self-employed a system of earnings-related pensions with corresponding contribution rates. It is too early to indicate the likely outcome of this study but I have undertaken to present my conclusions to the House when all the possibilities have been examined.