Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/160

 88 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — UNITED KINGDOM

aliens, the army and navy, mercantile marine, and certain other classes. Certain persons not coiiipulsorily insured may become volnntmy contrihutora. The funds are provided by the employer (3(?. per week per emploj'ed person), the worker (4(?. per week by males and 3rf. by females), and the State. Special rates are applicable in cases of voluntary insurers, and low wage-earners, and the rates in Ireland are Id. lower for contributors and Jrf. lower for emjiloyers than in Great Britain. Contributions cease at the age of 70 when the Oh! Age Pension Acts {q.v.) come into play. The benefits include medical treatment, sanitoriuni treatment, paynients during sickness and disablement, and (in the case of women) a payment of 30.?. on confinement. Other benefits are also possible if funds permit.

(ii) Unemployment Insurance. — This is ad)ninistered by the Board of Trade largely through the Labour Exchanges. The trades covered by the Insurance are: building; construction of works (railroads, docks, <fec.), shipbuilding; mechanical engineering; ironfounding; construction of velicles; and sawmilling. The Board of Trade may extend the scheme.to other trades. The funds are provided by the employer, the workman {2M. per week each), and the state (one-third of the total contribution of woi'kman and em- ployer). The benefit consists of a weekly payment during imemployment in certain defined circumstances, for a limited number of weeks per year.

(For further details of the National Insuiance Scheme see Statesman's Year Book for 1912, pages 37 to 40).

The number of injured persons under the Health Insurance Scheme in January, 1013, was about 13J millions excluding about 480,000 deposit contributors. The number of unemployment contiibutors was about 2,300,000.

Old Ag^e Pensions.

Under the Old Age Pension Acts 1908 and 1911, every person over 70 years of age who is a British subject; who for twelve out of the twenty years up to the date of receiving a pension has resided in the United Kingdom (residence abroad is allowed to count in certain circumstances); and whose yearly means do not exceed 31/. lOs. is entitled to a pension: provided he has not through idleness habitually failed to maintain himself and his de- pendents, is not in receipt of poor relief (except medical and certain other kinds of relief), is not a lunatic in an asylum, has not been a convict in prison during the preceding 10 years for a term of upwards of six weeks, or during the preceding two years for a term not exceeding six weeks, and is not dis- qualified by order of a court. An existing pensioner may in certain circum- stances be disqualified for receiving further pensions. For every borough and urban district with a census population of at least 20,000,^ and for every county (excluding borough and district areas) a local pension committee is appointed by the borough, district, or county council. The committees may appoint sub-committees and delegate powers or duties to them. Pension officers J[to investigate and report to the committees) are appointed by the Treasury, The central pension authority is the Local Government Board. Claims for pen- sions are made through the local post-offices, every postmaster being required to give information and make the proceedings as easy as possibles for the claimant. The claim is transmitted to the pension officer and, on his report to the committee, that body may disallow the claim (in which case an appeal lies to the Local Government Board), or may allow it and fix the rate of pension. The weekly amount of the i)ension is bs. if the yearly means of the pensioner do not exceed 21Z. 4s. If the yearly means exceed 21Z. but do not exceed 23/. 12s. 6c/., and so on, the weekly pension decreases by l.s. for every 2/. 12,9. Qd. by which the limit of the yearly means is increased. On March 29, 1912, there were 942,160 pensions payable in the United Kingdom, namel}^, 602,441 in England, 40,083 in Wales, 94,319 in

J In Scotland the poimlation limit does not apply; in Ireland the limit is 10,000 instead of 20,000.

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