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 Sir Douglas Hogg Sir Douglas Hogg , St Marylebone

We have had some very hard things said about ourselves and about this Clause by the hon. Member for West Nottingham (Mr. Hay-day). He has spoken of our hard, cruel, harsh, unkind conduct. [HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear!"] Hon. Members may say "Hear, hear," but one wonders whether the real object of the speech was conveyed in the concluding remarks, when he said that he wanted the people outside to know. [HON. MEMBERS: "Why not?"] Why not? Why should not they know the facts and not the misrepresentations which we sometimes hear from Socialist orators? There is, possibly, a more charitable view, and one which I would prefer to take, and it lies in the belief that the hon. Member has misunderstood the whole scheme of unemployment insurance. That is not an uncommon misconception. He spoke repeatedly of people who had paid for unemployment insurance for a long time without becoming unemployed. He spoke of the men who had paid in and had certain amounts standing to their credit. He said that everyone should get at least the value, plus interest, of their contributions to the Unemployment Fund. Of course, if you run an insurance company or an insurance scheme on the basis that everybody who pays in must get out at least what he paid in, it would follow that no one could get out more than he paid in, and what would happen to unemployment insurance?