§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans the Government have to allow exemption certificates to be backdated for homeworkers if they opt to pay the self-employed contribution; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardThose homeworkers who are self-employed can apply in the normal way for a certificate of exception from liability to pay class 2 contributions; if appropriate, the certificate can be backdated for a maximum of 13 weeks. There are no plans to extend these backdating provisions for any group of workers.