D5& 
MAJORITY REPORT. 
for which compensation is payable are unable to obtain com- 
pensation by reason of the employer or other person responsible 
being unable to meet his liability, and are at the same 
time unable, by reason of the disentitling provisions of the 
National Health Insurance Act, to obtain any benefit from their 
Approved Societies. The Association suggested that in order 
to meet the very unsatisfactory position which thus arises, the 
Act should provide that ‘‘ unless an insured person unreasonably 
neglects or refuses to enforce his claim, benefit should be payable 
if compensation is not recovered 
629. We have no reason to think that cases of this kind are 
numerous as they are confined to those in which an insured 
person has established his title to compensation prior to 
the employer becoming insolvent. Moreovér, even in such 
cases, the employed person’s claim to compensation ranks pre- 
ferentially on the assets of the employer. At the same time, 
though the cases may be few they involve real hardship, and in 
our opinion the present position cannot be justified. We, there- 
fore, recommend that provision should be made whereby in any 
case where an award of compensation or damages has been made 
in favour of an insured person, and the payment cannot be 
recovered by reason of the insolvency of the employer or other 
person liable, sickness or disablement benefit should then become 
payable. 
630. The only other matter in connexion with workmen's 
compensation on which we desire to make a recommendation 
relates to the notification of agreements. On this point we may 
quote from a question addressed to Sir Walter Kinnear and his 
reply : 
““ Are you satisfied with the present arrangements under 
which Societies are notified of cases in which their members 
become entitled to claim compensation under the Work- 
men’s Compensation Act?—Under the Workmen's Compen- 
sation Act, 1923, and the Rules of Court made under that Act, 
Approved Societies are now recognised as interested parties in 
any agreements for the payment of a lump sum, and arrange- 
ments have been made for the notification of such agreements 
by the Registrars of the County Courts to the Approved Society 
concerned. These arrangements are working well and should 
enable a Society to receive prompt information of the cases about 
which it is important that it should know. There is still in force 
Section 16 (1) (¢) of the Act, which requires the employer or 
insurance company—in fact it is really the insurance com- 
pany—to forward a notification to the Ministry or 
Society where there is an agreement for compensation 
at less than 15s. a week, or for redemption of a 
weekly payment by a lump sum. This provision has never 
been of much use. as out of thousands of cases notified it has not