Member

I support Amendment 73, tabled by my noble friend Lady Coffey, and Amendment 74 for a rebate scheme, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Fox, because cover for lost income due to sickness goes back, historically, to 1911 and was, as I mentioned, enshrined in the blueprint by Beveridge, with elements of contributory social insurance then in existence extended right across into a single system of contributory insurance under the National Insurance Act 1946. Statutory sick pay was based on a three-way contributory benefit paid by the employer, the employee and the taxpayer for the best part of 100 years, to help working people with income to cover sickness. Throughout that period, the employee contribution arrangements were designed as part of a three-way scheme to promote incentives, maintain a link between contribution and benefit, and keep costs and claims under control.