MAJORITY REPORT.

325. With regard to unmarried insured women with dependent
children, we do not consider that the allowances should be paid
in respect of the children, as an awkward problem of actual
dependency would inevitably arise in regard to maintenance
orders awarded by a Court and would raise serious administrative
difficulties. But we do not think it just that unmarried women,
who constitute the great majority of insured women, should have
to contribute for a benefit which very few of them are ever likely
to receive. We have therefore considered carefully in what circumstances
 an unmarried woman could fairly claim that her
sickness or disablement benefit should be supplemented by an
allowance for a person dependent on her. We have come to the
conclusion that the allowance might be made in such a case in
respect of a dependent widowed mother. It should, however, be
laid down that where a widowed mother is alleged to be
dependent upon an unmarried insured daughter, but also has
unmarried sons to whom she can reasonably look for support,
she should be regarded as dependent upon the sons and not upon
the daughter.

326. We are informed that under the Widows’, Orphans’ and
Old Age Contributory Pensions Act elaborate machinery has had
to be set up for the purpose of securing periodical notifications
from schoolmasters of the continued attendance at school of
dependent children over the age of 14. Certification to Approved
Societies on similar lines would, we suggest, be impracticable,
and in view of the difficulties involved in certifying the
dependency of children over the age of 14, we suggest that
““ dependent child >’ for the purpose we have in view should be
defined as a child not exceeding the age of 14.