§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of(a) how many employees in the United Kingdom are covered by private medical insurance schemes provided by their employer and (b) the additional cost to those employers of the rise in national insurance contributions. [53267]
§ Dawn Primarolo[holding answer 29 April 2002]: Over 2 million employees receive benefit from private medical and dental treatment or insurance arranged and paid by employers. This does not include self-employed individuals, or company policies provided for retired employees or for employees with earnings below the P11D threshold.
An additional I per cent. class 1 A national insurance contribution from 2003–04 on the amount of private medical and dental benefit provided by employers is estimated to raise around £10 million per year.