SOCIAL SECURITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24685, 14 August 1941, Page 6

SOCIAL SECURITY

BENEFITS AND PENSIONS £12,510,608 LAST YEAR INCREASE IN PAYMENTS 10. C.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 13. The payments of benefits and pensions under the Social Security Act for ■the year ended March 31, 1941, totalled £ 12_.510.608, compared with .£11,494,202 in the previous year. This information is given in the report of, the Social Security Department, which was tabled in the &ouse‘ of Representatives to-day. The total cost of administering the payments was reported to be £331,769, or 2.65 per cent., The universal-superannuation benefits came into operation for the first time on April 1, 1940, and the Humber in force at the end of the year was 36,602, with an annudl value , of £366,020. The applications rejected for the benefit, which was £lo'last year and will be increased by £2 10s a year until 1968, numbered 1316. Details of Increases For the second year the age benefits in force increased by 43,444 to 97,606, with an annual value of £7,127,821. The total payment for last year increased by £583,447 to £6,517,899.

The widow beneficiaries increased by 395 to 10,569, with an annual value of £843,516, the actual payments for the year being £836,368. The orphans’ benefits increased from 330 to 350. with an annual value of £17,888, the payment last year being £17,713.

The wider coverage by extension of the family benefits to cover each child after the first child of a family resulted in a considerable increase in the number of benefits. The increase of benefits during the year numbered 5573 and the annual value of the 16,626 benefits was £485,337. * The beneficiaries under the invalid provisions increased by 125 to a total of 11,936, having an annual value of £998,792. Appeals against rejection on medical grounds to an appeal' board of three practitioners numbered 296, as against 31 in the previous .year. Of the' appeals, 41 per cent, were upheld, 152 cases were dismissed, and 15 either withdrawn or struck out. A v

A class of benefit which has shown a decrease is that for miners. The current benefits at the end of the financial year totalled 931, against 988, the annual value having fallen to £85,394.

Unemployment Benefits h.

The report disclosed that at, March 31 last those Jn receipt of unemployment benefits were 1735 males and 171 females, the decreases from the previous year being 2008' males and 139 females. Nearly 42 per cent, of the male beneficiaries had periods of unemployment of less than four week's, while 39 per cent, were unemployed for periods varying from four to .13 weeks. The largest group of males was from 30 to 39 years, and the.largest group of females was from 16 to 19 years. The report stressed that unemployment benefits were not continued for longer periods than was necessary and that the total expenditure for the year amounted to £299,161, compared with £434,497 for the preceding year. Sickness beneficiaries, representing sick persons with continuing incapacity but insufficiently so to warrant the granting of an invalid’s benefit, numbered 2477 males and 57’ females, at March 31, an increase of 560 n.ales and 327 females over the figures at the same date in the previous year. The "applications during the year totalled 26,875, of which 23,425 were granted, 2955 declined, and 495 granted emergency benefits on the grounds of hardshio. The expenditure on sickness benefits amounted to £279,581, an increase of £70,791 for the year. Cases of Hardship

The emergency benefits granted totalled 2266, the expenditure increasing by £43,385 to £131,096. The commission reported that it took full advantage of the provision of the lav/, and many cases of genuine hardship had in consequence been relieved. Payments under the War Pensions Act, 1915, reached £1,663,455, a decrease of £10,275. Thf total payment since the Act was passed has been £32,861,521. The war veterans’ allowances in force at March 31 were 2033, with an annual value of £209,445. Dependent children in receipt of an allowance totalled 1563.