Insurance.

Clause.

18. Amendment of 16 & 17 Geo. 5. c. 9. s. 4.

19. Minor amendments of principal Act and repeals. 20. Transitional regulations.

21. Application to Northern Ireland..

22. Short title, construction and commencement.

SCHEDULES.

Insurance.

A

BILL

ΤΟ

Amend

the National Health Insurance Act, A.D. 1928. 1924, and other enactments relating to health insurance.

E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, 5 as follows:

1.-(1) In section three of the National Health AmendInsurance Act, 1924 (hereinafter referred to as the ments of principal Act), for subsection (1) thereof, down to the ss. 3, 7 & 15 of principal words as if he were an employed contributor insured Act as to 10 under this Act" there shall be substituted the following continuous provision :

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insurance, contribu

"Where an insured person being an employed tions by contributor and a member of an approved society voluntary ceases to be employed within the meaning of this contribu Act, he shall until the thirtieth day of June, or tors and the thirty-first day of December, whichever next arrears. precedes the expiration of a period of two years from the end of the contribution week in which he ceases to be so employed, be treated for all purposes as if he were an employed contributor insured under this Act; but if on ceasing to be so employed he is rendered incapable of work by some specific disease or by bodily or mental

A.D. 1928.

Insurance.

disablement of which notice is given within the prescribed time, the said period of two years shall be reckoned from the end of the contribution week in which he ceases to be so incapable of work."

(2) For subsection (2) of the same section, the following subsection shall be substituted:

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"(2) A voluntary contributor being a member of an approved society shall on ceasing to pay contributions continue to be treated 10 as if he were a voluntary contributor insured under this Act until the thirtieth day of June or the thirty-first day of December, whichever next precedes the expiration of a period of two years from the end of the contribution week in 15 respect of which the last contribution paid by him as a voluntary contributor was paid:

Provided that where during the period immediately following the contribution week in respect of which the last contribution paid by him as a 20 voluntary contributor was paid he is rendered incapable of work by some specific disease or by bodily or mental disablement of which notice is given within the prescribed time, the said period of two years shall be reckoned from the end of the 25 contribution week in which he ceases to be so incapable of work."

(3) For subsections (3) and (4) of the same subsection the following subsections shall be substituted:

"(3) An insured person

(a) who has been insured as an employed contributor for the prescribed period, and by or in respect of whom the prescribed number of contributions have been paid; and

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(b) who proves within the prescribed time that throughout the period during which he has remained insured by virtue of the foregoing provisions of this section (except when incapable of work by reason of some specific 40 disease or bodily or mental disablement of which notice is given within the prescribed

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Insurance.

time) he was available for but unable to A.D. 1928. obtain employment within the meaning of

this Act;

shall continue to be treated as an employed con-
tributor insured under this Act until the expira-
tion of a year from the date on which he would
otherwise cease to be insured, subject to this
modification, that he shall, during such extended
period, be subject to such a reduction in the rate
of sickness benefit and disablement benefit as may
be prescribed; so, however, that such reduction
shall not exceed one-half of the benefit.

"(4) If any person, while remaining insured by
virtue of the last foregoing subsection, again
becomes employed within the meaning of this Act,
or becomes a voluntary contributor, he shall,
for the purposes of sickness disablement and
maternity benefits, be treated as if he had not
previously been insured until he has been so
employed for twenty-six weeks and twenty-six
contributions have been paid in respect of him
since he again became so employed, or until he
has paid twenty-six contributions since becoming
a voluntary contributor, as the case may be:

Provided that no person shall by reason of becoming so employed or becoming a voluntary contributor be deprived of any benefit to which he would otherwise have been entitled.

"(5) Where an insured person to whom subsection (3) of this section applies was at the date when he ceased to be employed within the meaning of this Act of the age of sixty or upwards, and had then been continuously insured for ten years or upwards, then

(a) if on ceasing to be insured under the said subsection (3), he proves that during the immediately preceding year he was, except when incapable of work, available for but unable to obtain employment within the meaning of this Act, he shall continue to be treated as an insured person until the expiration of a year from the date on which he would otherwise cease to be insured; and

Provided that a person who remains insured by virtue only of this subsection shall not be entitled to sickness benefit or disablement benefit, and if he again becomes employed within the meaning of this Act, he shall for the purpose of 10 determining his title to sickness benefit and disablement benefit be treated as if he had not previously been an insured person.

(6) If at the date on which a person would under any of the foregoing provisions of this section 15 cease to be insured he is, or was within the period of four weeks preceding that date, incapable of work by reason of some specific disease or bodily or mental disablement of which notice is or has been given within the prescribed time, he shall 20 remain insured in accordance with the provisions of this section applicable to him at the time he became incapable of work until the expiration of a period of four weeks commencing next after the end of the last contribution week in which he was 25 incapable of work.

"(7) A person who on attaining the age of sixty-five is insured under this Act shall thereafter continue to be an insured person throughout his life, notwithstanding anything contained in this 30 section, and a person who on attaining the age of sixty-five is not insured under this Act shall not be capable of becoming insured.

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(8) Where any person has ceased to be an insured person he shall, if subsequently he becomes 35 employed within the meaning of this Act, or becomes a voluntary contributor, be treated as if he had not previously been an insured person."

(4) At the end of section seven of the principal Act, the following new subsection shall be inserted:(5) Where at the end of any contribution year the number of contributions, calculated in the prescribed manner, paid, or deemed in accord

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