MAJORITY REPORT. 
QF 
7121). The National Association of Trade Union Approved 
Societies, having in view a closer co-ordination of Public Health 
and Medical Services, suggested that boys and girls should become 
compulsorily insured immediately upon taking up employment 
after leaving school. (App. XCII, 52-54; Q. 21,854.) The 
British Dental Association also call attention to the importance 
of continuous arrangements for dental treatment, and state that 
if such treatment were afforded as a statutory benefit for all 
insured persons, it would be most unfortunate that there should 
be an interval of about two years between leaving school and 
attaining the age of 16 during which the boy or girl would be 
left without any provision for obtaining dental treatment. 
(Q. 9227.) 
455. On the other hand we are informed by Sir Walter 
Kinnear (Q. 37) that there is no real demand for the insurance 
of employed persons under the age of 16, and we have had no 
evidence that employers give any preference in employment to 
boys and girls under that age on the ground that insurance con- 
tributions are not payable in respect of them. The witnesses 
from ihe National Conferencet of Friendly Societies (App. 
XXVI, 10), the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows (Q. 5823-5824), 
and the Rational Association Friendly Society (Q. 6563-6564) 
were all of opinion that a lowering of the age limit was not 
desirable. 
456. We do not consider that the arguments in favour of a 
lowering of the age limit for insurance are many or of great 
weight. The question of reducing the age limit in the case of 
Unemployment Insurance was recently considered by Parliament, 
and it was decided that the present limit of 16, as in the case 
of Health Insurance, should be retained. The determining factor 
in arriving at this decision was the trend of educational policy in 
this country which is in the direction of treating the period 
between 14 and 16 as one for which educational rather than 
industrial provision should be made. In so far as the normal 
school leaving age extends beyond 14, the gap in the provision 
of medical and dental supervision will become less, and in any 
case we do not consider that serious consequences need be feared 
as a result of this short interval if good habits have been 
inculeated as the result of the School Medical and Dental Services. 
457. There are, moreover, serious practical objections to any 
lowering of the age limit for insurance. Such a change would 
either involve a special reduced scale of contributions and benefits 
at the ages of 14 to 16, causing considerable administrative diffi- 
culties, or it would necessitate the reconsideration of the financial 
structure of the Scheme. 
458. As to the higher age limit of insurability, the position has 
been materially affected by the passing of the Widows’, Orphans’