Orders of the Day — Contributory Pensions Bill.

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am ar 15 Gorffennaf 1925.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Mr John Baker Mr John Baker , Wolverhampton Bilston

It has been said that no one objects to the Clause. I strongly object to it in its present form. It seems to me that the Minister of Health had a generous impulse and then regretted it and has devised all the means he can imagine to minimise the benefits which in his generous mood he wanted to provide. We have had other Acts of Parliament quoted as a reason for minimising the benefits under this Bill wherever they could be used as a reason for minimising them. I have attended as often as I could, but I have not heard a single Act quoted by that side of the House to increase the benefits under the Bill. In this Clause there is a provision for a, pension if the person entitled applies for it within a given time. The Department realises that it will work slowly and it wants time to pay that pension. It realises that it is dealing with poverty-stricken people who may have to apply to a board of guardians, and probably will in most cases. But the Minister of Health is nominating himself into the office of a super-relieving officer and is going to make all the inquisitorial inquiries which we have been objecting to to find out exactly the income of all these people and he says, "That is over 10s. a week; we shall have to have some of this back." I am not an expert on the Old Age Pensions Act, but I understand that under that Act if an old age pensioner went into an infirmary or a workhouse the guardians themselves could not take that pension until the pauper had been in that institution for at least three months. The Minister is going one better than the worst board of guardians in this country and says, "I am going to claim the right to take that pension from the moment that you have that other relief." If a woman has to apply for relief after she has got the pension the guardians will ask for her income and reduce the allowance accordingly. He makes a difference between the woman who gets the pension first and the woman who is so poor, so distressed and so destitute that she had to apply before he could pay the pension. He is making provision in the next Clause to cover that up because if the woman does not got her claim in, though the pension may be accruing, within one month or, at the latest, two, that claim can only be paid from the date on which it was granted. He is therefore safeguarding his interests. Now we have the picture of a woman who has lost her husband and has been under extra expense; She is in great trouble. She may not think of applying for the pension unless she has some friend who is not so troubled, who is interested in her welfare. The two months expire. She is only entitled to a pension then from the date of the application. But the Minister wants to come on, if I read this aright, and say, "You have received so much: that matter must be adjusted." I protest against these restrictive Clauses. I thought for one we were going to get a Parliament with a generous mood towards the poorest of the poor, the defenceless widow and orphan, that was going to treat them decently. The Minister cannot withdraw this Clause altogether, but I hope he will undertake to give us something better than we have here. If he had given some suggestion of an adjustment to help that woman in her great time of trouble we might have had more sympathy with it. I protest against the Clause, and if it goes to a Division I shall vote against it