FAMILY BENEFIT

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 21, 24 July 1940, Page 11

FAMILY BENEFIT

NEW PROVISION

BROUGHT INTO OPERATION

The provjsion made by Parliament last week for the extension. of family benefits under the Social Security Act to cover the second and each subsequent child, instead of the third and each subsequent child as previously, has been brought into operation by the Government. The provision was made to minimise any hardship im-. posed on the family man in view of the additional National Security charge of Is in the £. .

The Minister of.Social Security (the Hon. W.'.E. Parry) said last night that the new provision would increase v each of the 11,000 family benefits on the roll by the additional amount provided by the Amendment Act, namely, 4s weekly, or 17s 4d monthly. Payment would be available in the ordinary course on next pay-day, tomorrow, without .application by the existing beneficiaries. - The! only . exceptions made were those cases (some 850) where related unemployment and sickness and emergency benefits were payable, in which cases no increase was payable as the maximum combined benefit remained unchanged. New applicants for family benefit would, of course, require to make application to the nearest post office or the Social Security Department.

"The staff of the Department," added Mr. Parry, /'have done a particularly fine and expeditious work in getting the 11,000 pay vouchers ready in so short a time, to enable the persons concerned to receive on the ordinary paying-out day the extra amount granted to them by Parliament."