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 Edward Harney Mr Edward Harney , South Shields

I agree. First of all, a stale application involves greater expense. Consequently, the Minister wants to urge people to make their applications early, by placing a penalty upon belated applications. It seems to me that the penalty is wholly disproportionate to the crime. The crime is a very slight one, and the amount of the penalty is in many cases greater than the crime. If people neglect for, say, six weeks, to make application, although they might have put it in earlier, they are penalised to a small extent, but if people are very old and distracted and there is everything to excuse them, and they are six months late in putting in their application, they are very heavily penalised. There is no justification for that, and my submission would be that we should allow the pension to be payable, as it is legally due, from the date when it arises. A provision might be put in the Bill saying that persons who, in the opinion of the Minister, have been unreasonable in regard to sending in their applications might have to pay some small sum as a penalty. As the Clause stands, it is unfair and hits hardest the people who probably least deserve it.