SOCIAL SECURITY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 193, 17 July 1941, Page 4

SOCIAL SECURITY

EXTENSION OF SCOPE. FAMILY AND AGE BENEFITS. > As regards the Social Security Fund, ; alowance has been mado in tins year’s s estimates for an increase of £706,1X10 - in monetary benefits and £1,223,000 I in respect of medical and hospital [ benefits. These lor the most part arise F from normal increases. Thus the in--1 crease from £lO to £l2 10s per annum j payable in respect of universal super- • animation, together with new entrants , and late applications, accounts for an - additional £250,000 and the increase in the number of ago beneficiaries for i £500,000. Medical and pharmaceutical - benefits account for tho greater portion of the increase in the heading of ’ hospital benefits, being rellected in the > accounts for the first time this year. 1 The out-patients’ service and pharmaceutical benefits arc now in full operation, while in anticipation of the general practitioner service being in full operation shortly the sum of £600,000 has been set aside for medical benefits. Total expenditure for the year is estimated hs follows:

To meet this expenditure Iho social security charge and registration feo will, it is estimated, provide £10,600,000, and miscellaneous receipts £30,000. while the transfer of £3.600,000 from the Consolidated Fund, together with balances in hand at the beginning of tho year, should meet the difference and at tho same time leave something to meet possible additional claims during the year. COST OF ADDITIONS. ' It is the intention to introduce this session several amendments to the social Security Act. Firstly, il is proposed to give further assistance to tne lannly man oil the lower scales of income by extending the family benefit to cover the lirst child, this means an increase oi 4s a week in the lamiiv benefit now payable. It is estimated that this increase will cost £230,000 during the lirst year ol operation. J lie position ol age beneficiaries with dependants will also be improved, and to piaco them on the same basis as other classes ol benefits it is proposed to increase the rates payable in respect ot the wives and cluldreu to lUs each per week, with a maximum ago benefit in any particular case of £4 lUs weekly. Under the present legislation any person qualified to receive an ago benent cannot Lie granted an invalids’ benefit, and in consequence tho Social Security Commiss.ou lias no option but to convert an invalid’s benefit into an age benefit when-the qualifying ago of sixty is readied if tho beneficiary is otherwise eligible for a benefit of tliis nature. This transfer necessitates au adjustment in the rates of benolit, and as tho amount at present payable lor the wile and children ol an invalid is iUs weekly as compared with os a week lor ago beneficiaries, a reduction is generally necessary. 'The proposed amendment wi.i not only correct this anomalous position, but will also allow some additional assistance to be granted to those ago beneficiaries who have dependants. The cost of making this alteration is estimated at £74,600 per annum. A further amendment relates to invalids' beneficiaries, and it has been decided to raise the maximum invalids’ benefits from £4 to £4 .10s weekly. Ir- I respective of the number of'dependent children, the amount of an invalid benefit under the present provisions cannot exceed £4 a week, and the proposed amendment will bring this class of benefit into lino with miners’, widows’, and ago benefits and make the conditions of payment more uniiorm. The additional expenditure involved in this case is £6OOO per annum. It is also proposed to adjust the war veterans’ allowance by increasing the amount for each child to 10s instead ol the 5s as at present, with a maxi- I ilium war veterans’ allowance of £4 10s per week. The additional cost for the lirst year of operation is estimated at £25,000. ~ \ ft will be noted that all these altera- I turns benefit lamilies with children and E arc proposed in pursuance of the Gov- j cmincut's policy of doing everything ( possible to ensure maintenance of the | home and family life and to free I mothers from some of file difficulties I they have experienced in the past. I

Monetary benefits— £ Age 7,410,000 'Widows’ 855,000 Orphans’ 18,000 Familv 004,000 Invalids’ 1,014,000 Miners’ 85.000 Maori War 500 Unemployment 300,000 Sickness ... 300.000 Universal superannuation 490.000 Emergency Hospital, etc., benefits— 135,000 11,301,500 Medical .. 000,000 .Pharmaceutical 350,000 Maternity ... 550,000 Hospital .. 1,435,000 Supplementary 65,000 £3,000,000 Administration expenses .. 4 71,500 £14,673,000