MAJORITY REPORT. 
FE 
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equivalents for this purpose. The relief to the insurance funds 
thus resulting is allowed for in the actuarial calculation of the 
contribution. The system appears to work well and has the 
feature that it continues to place upon the employers the full 
financial responsibility for industrial accident and disease. 
MAINTENANCE OF THE POOR. 
50. Turning to the maintenance aspect of the Poor Law, we 
have had evidence as to the supplementing of the cash benefits 
under the National Health Insurance Scheme by Poor Liaw relief. 
The Scottish Board of Health submitted a statement showing 
the numbers of persons in certain industrial parishes who applied 
for Poor Relief to supplement National Health Insurance Benefit 
and other resources, and stated that, from information based 
on the Census records, ‘‘ The indications are that for both sexes, 
59 per cent., and for men, 73 per cent., of the insured persons 
drawing benefit applied for poor relief (App. CV, 51). 
The evidence furnished to us by the Ministry of Health indicates 
that while ‘‘ no records are available of the number of applicants 
for, or recipients of, Poor Law relief who are insured persons, it 
can only be stated that the proportion must be a substantial one.’’ 
The evidence from this quarter also indicates that in the two 
Boroughs of Reading and Halifax it was reported that 9'3 per 
cent. and 3'4 per cent. respectively of the persons in receipt of 
Health Insurance Benefit on a certain date were also in receipt 
of Outdoor Relief (Appendix CIV, 69). The Association of Poor 
Law Unions of England and Wales informed us that an 
insured person in receipt of sickness benefit comes to the 
Guardians for help simply because he has some dependants. He 
1s thrown out of work and there is nothing coming in except his 
sickness or disablement benefit. In a case like that they are 
bound to come for Poor Law assistance unless they have some 
other resources *’ (Q. 21,673). 
51. This evidence raises the fundamental principle involved 
in the question whether these benefits should be adequate for 
maintenance, or whether their supplementation by private 
Insurance in the case of the provident and by the Poor Law in 
the case of the thriftless or unfortunate is to be regarded as a 
permanent and desirable element in the system. The present 
rate of 7s. 6d. a week for disablement benefit is obviously 
not sufficient for the maintenance even of the single man. Tt was 
probably never intended to be, but was merely a basic sum such 
as the contribution could provide, giving an assured though small 
weekly payment which could be supplemented by private 
savings, voluntary insurance, and in other ways. The sickness 
benefit of 15s. is very near the margin for the single man and 
insufficient for the man with dependants. Tt is true that the 
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