issued early in January for the insertion by approved societies from their Membership and Contribution Registers of the relative particulars of insurance which would require to be considered in determining whether the conditions of qualification imposed by the Contributory Pensions Act would be complied with. It was impressed upon approved societies that the certificates must be completed with all possible expedition, and by the beginning of March fully 33,000 of the certificates had been received duly completed. Special arrangements were made with regard to members of the Prudential Approved Societies under which that society undertook to identify from its own records members who would satisfy the primary conditions of qualification. Accordingly, the forms issued did not embrace any members of these societies. The number of persons in Scotland in respect of whom certificates were furnished by the Prudential Approved Societies was approximately 8,500.

5. Examination of completed Certificates.-The completed certificates were examined and classified to determine as far as possible the persons who might become eligible for pension. The classification was so arranged as to secure that when the time came for the claim for pension to be considered no reexamination would be made on any heads of qualification which were seen to be clearly satisfied on the first examination.

At the end of April practically all the certificates had been received duly completed. 47,550 certificates in all had been received, and of these all but a few hundreds had been examined and classified. In 28,731 cases the insured persons satisfied in all respects the conditions of qualification for pension so far as based on insurance. 13,168 certificates had been classified in one of the provisional categories where there was a possible title to pension dependent upon more detailed information which could not be obtained until a claim had been received or upon later information as to the insurance record. Only in 2,269 cases had it been found that there was something definitely lacking from the elements necessary to satisfy the insurance conditions of qualification. There were 2,779

cases in which the society had intimated that the member was dead.

It was agreed, after consultation with the Ministry of Health, that the issue of claim forms to those persons who, on examination of their insurance record, were not found to be for any reason debarred from satisfying the conditions of qualification, should be made throughout Great Britain at the same time. The issue was made at the beginning of May. Claim forms were then issued to 41,688 persons in Scotland along with a memorandum urging the recipient to complete the claim and return it without avoidable delay.

6. Provision of Claim Forms at Post Offices.-For various reasons the direct issue of claim forms could not cover all persons who might be entitled to claim pension in January, 1928. Forms

of claim were accordingly made available to the public at all post office counters early in May.

7. Claims by Uninsured Wives.-Under the provisions of the Act the wife of a man who is or has been entitled to a pension between the ages of 65 and 70 is also entitled to a pension at the same rate in right of the insurance of her husband if she is over 65 when her husband qualifies, or when she attains that age. To facilitate consideration of claims by husband and wife where both were based on the insurance of the husband, the form of claim was so drawn up as to enable a married couple to claim pension on the same form. For various reasons the double claim form is unsuitable for normal use, and it was replaced towards the end of the year by a single form after the initial purpose had been served.

8. Explanatory Leaflets.-A leaflet explaining in detail the conditions of qualification for pension between the ages of 65 and 70 was made available at all post offices at the same time as the forms of claim. The steps to be taken to claim pension were set forth in the leaflet, which also, in language as simple as possible, described the conditions required by the Act and defined the terms which it was clear the public had difficulty in understanding.

9. Inflow of Claims.-The response of the public to the invitation to submit their claims as soon as possible was immediate and substantial. Within a month of the issue of the claim forms fully 35,000 claims had come to hand from Scottish claimants. Thus by the beginning of June more than 50 per cent. of the total number of claims expected had already been brought to hand for examination, and the principal object of the special arrangements that had been devised was already in large part secure of accomplishment. By the end of August some 46,000 claims had been received; by the end of October the number had reached 58,000, and at the end of the year it stood at nearly 61,000.

10. Examination of Claims.-The examination of the claims was commenced as soon as a sufficiently large number had been received. At the end of August there had been awarded just on 18,000 claims; at the end of September the number had increased to 27,927, and during October it rose to 38,518. The following is a statement of the position at the end of December :

Except in cases where there was difficulty in getting information by correspondence, claims were examined and determined centrally.

11. Proof of Age.-Under the system of local investigation by an inspector which is followed in the examination of claims. for widows' pensions and pensions under the Old Age Pensions Acts, the claimant is asked, when interviewed, to produce any certificates or other evidence he or she may possess in proof of age, as also of marriage, where it is necessary to prove marriage. In deciding that claims for pension between 65 and 70 should be investigated centrally, it was felt that the economy effected through utilising the evidence available from documents that might be obtained from claimants should not be discarded. After consultation with the Registrar-General for Scotland it seemed that there was ground for hoping that a very large number of claimants would be in a position to produce certificates of birth, and (where necessary) of marriage. In a number of cases persons might not be in possession of certificates, but would be able to obtain them at the reduced fee of 1s. under the special facilities afforded for purposes of the Contributory Pensions Act.

Claimants were therefore urged both in the explanatory leaflet and in the form of claim itself to submit the necessary certificates in proof of age and marriage if they had or could obtain them. To enable the certificates to be forwarded with the pension claim, the forms of claim were provided at post offices in an envelope bearing the address of the Central Department.

These arrangements were regarded as experimental, but the result has been to show that the experiment has been very successful. More than 70 per cent. of the births and marriages which required to be proved as part of the investigation of claims for pension were proved by certificates furnished by the claimants themselves along with their claims for pension. This saved the labour and expense of fully 40,000 references for search in the Birth and Marriage Registers in the keeping of the RegistrarGeneral. At the same time it expedited very materially the examination of claims.

In a large proportion of the cases in which claimants did not furnish the required certificates, the events which it was necessary to prove had taken place outside Scotland. Irish-born claimants bulked largely in this group. Very frequently it was necessary to examine the census returns to obtain sufficient evidence to establish the age of such claimants. Early in the year the Secretary of State approved of the Census Returns for 1881 and 1891, in addition to those for earlier periods, being made available for search in connection with claims for pension, and the information contained in these returns has been found extremely useful. In a number of cases it has been the only means of proving age. Owing to the immense number of claims received, the number of references for search in the records of the Registrar-General was high notwithstanding that need for reference arose only in a minority of cases. Much work was occasioned to the staff of the Registrar-General engaged in searching the records, and this work was overtaken with such

expedition as to involve the least possible delay in the examination of the claims for pension.

12. Proof of Incapacity and of Unemployment.-Among the other conditions which required to be complied with in respect to insurance it was necessary that the person in respect of whose insurance a claim for pension was made must have a certain minimum credit of contributions for a determinate period. In relation to claimants for pension from the commencing day this period embraced the two contribution years from July, 1924, to July, 1926. Ordinarily the test required that the insured person must have had not less than 39 contributions on an average in respect of each of those two contribution years. This test is modified by the Act in the case of persons who, on attaining the age of 60 in the case of a man and 55 in the case of a woman, had been continuously insured for at least ten years or from the commencement of National Health Insurance on 15th July, 1912. Persons who had that standing in insurance were enabled to qualify for pension if the average of contributions amounted to at least 26 in respect of each of the two contribution years.

The lower average of 26 could be made up of contributions actually paid and of weeks for which contributions were excused on the ground that the person was incapacitated for work due to disease or disablement. For the purpose of the higher average of 39, account was in addition taken of weeks during which the insured person was available for but unable to obtain employment. If it was proved that, throughout any week comprised in the contribution years to which the condition requiring an average of 39 contributions applied, the insured person was available for but unable to obtain employment, a contribution was deemed to have been paid in respect of him for that week for the purpose of calculating the average of contributions. It may be noted that although for purposes of the lower average weeks of unemployment do not count in the calculation of the average of contributions unless the unemployment is due to illness, persons who are entitled to have the lower average applied have the option of having their title to pension determined either on the higher or the lower average. They are not therefore precluded from having contributions deemed to have been paid in respect of genuine unemployment due to inability to obtain work if they desire, or if it is to their advantage, that such unemployment should be so recognised.

Proof of incapacity for work due to disease or disablement is an essential part of the machinery of National Health Insurance. It is entirely dependent upon the production of such proof whether the benefits of the National Health Insurance Scheme can be allowed. Further, insured persons are protected by the provisions of the National Health Insurance Act from falling into arrears, and from the consequent liability to reduction or loss of benefit, through deficiency of contributions arising from incapacity. The remission of arrears because of incapacity cannot, however, be allowed unless the illness is duly notified to the

person's approved society and authenticated by production of medical certificates.

It follows that the machinery of National Health Insurance will generally provide the requisite proof of incapacity for work through disease or disablement where a question arises in the determination of a claim for pension whether the average of contributions, if otherwise deficient, can be made good by contributions that can be deemed to have been paid for weeks of incapacity. In all cases where Health Insurance benefit was paid, or where for any reason the conditions of qualification for benefit were not fulfilled but incapacity was duly notified and proved to the satisfaction of the approved society, the records of the approved society under the National Health Insurance Act provided all the information that was needed to prove title to contribution by reason of incapacity for purposes of the average of contributions required by the Pensions Act. In the small minority of cases where pension claimants alleged incapacity and the statements were not supported from Health Insurance records there was much difficulty in determining whether there had in fact been incapacity. The onus of proof rested on the claimant. Clear medical evidence was indispensable in such cases.

Information was also available from National Health Insurance records in regard to the position of claimants during periods of alleged inability to obtain work. Genuine unemployment, unlike incapacity for work due to sickness, is not under the National Health Insurance Scheme a condition of title to benefit. But for a number of years the Health Insurance Scheme has recognised the difficulties of the unemployed population by enabling arrears of contributions which are due only to involuntary unemployment to be partially remitted. Although the amount of arrears that can be remitted is limited, it is a condition of any remission that throughout the contribution year the insured person must, when not employed or incapacitated for work by disease or disablement, have been available for but unable to obtain employment. It is required also that contributions payable in accordance with the Insurance Act in respect of employment must have been surrendered to the insured person's approved society for all weeks of employment in the contribution year. It follows, therefore, from the conditions attaching to the remission of arrears under the Health Insurance Scheme, that a person entitled to such remission for any contribution year is entitled to be treated as though 52 contributions had been paid in respect of him for that contribution year in the calculation of the number of contributions for purposes of the average of contributions required by the Contributory Pensions Act. The great majority of pension claimants who depended for purposes of the average of contributions on credits of contributions in respect of genuine unemployment were persons who had been granted remission of Health Insurance arrears in one or both of the contribution years in respect of which the average of contributions was required. In such cases the particulars sup