SOCIAL SECURITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 47, 24 August 1939, Page 9

SOCIAL SECURITY

PENSION PAYMENTS

OPPOSITION COMPLAINT

"Confusion worse confounded," was the description applied by the Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. A. Hamilton) to the presentation of the Social Security expenditure when he was speaking on the Estimates in the House of Representatives last night. He complained that Parliament had lost the control it had formerly exercised over pension payments. Mr. Hamilton pointed out tnat on one page of the Estimates was the vote I for the Social Security Department (war and sundry pensions and special annuities), £4,080,000. and that on another page appeared the Social Security Fund vote of £1,754,000 for the salaries, emergency, maternity, medical, hospital, and pharmaceutical benefit payments, contingencies, and j expenses of the Social Security Department. In addition there had been a statement from the Government that there would be a further expenditure of over £12,000,000. "I know that the Public Accounts are fairly confusing and that it takes an accountant to understand them," he added. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (National, Kaipara): A Treasury official. Mr. Hamilton: An accountant who deals with public accounts. That is about the only type who might understand this. There was formerly an Unemployment Fund outside the Estimates whic-h was controlled by a Minister and a chairman of an Unemployment Board, and that system worked satisfactorily. Now with that fund abolished and the Social Security Fund outside the Estimates, Parliament has lost control of pensions. Mr. Hamilton said he assumed that a report would be presented to Parliament. The acting Minister of Social Security (the Hon. W. E. Parry): The same as with the Unemployment Fund. The acting Prime Minister (the Hon P. Fraser) said it was not new to have a permanent appropriation. He explained that war pensions had to be paid out of revenue and a subsidy for maternity, medical, hospital, and pharmaceutical benefits had to be provided on the Estimates. The remainder of the payments was levied by taxes and was placed in the Social Security Fund as soon as collected. A report would be presented to Parliament giving full particulars. Mr. Parry: It is on the press now. Mr. Fraser added that any report dealing with expenditure could be produced for perusal at any time.