The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1990-1997

1983-1987 Parliament

Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions – 2 December 1985

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Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Pensions on 2nd December 1985.

Mr. Meacher Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, if, in so far as they affect the current payment of pensions, he will list the relevant statutory instruments and orders which governed the exceptions to the general requirements for employees or others to pay contributions into the statutory pension insurance scheme between 1936 and 1948, and all the employers who obtained exception under these provisions, indicating the period during which the exception was current and, where possible, whether it was for all employees or not.

Mr. Major Since persons in excepted employments between 1936 and 1948 did not pay contributions which were credited into the state pension scheme in 1948, legislation governing exceptions does not in general affect the current payment of pensions. However, the main provisions for excepting persons from insurance during the relevant period are contained in schedule 1 to the National Health Insurance Act 1936, as amended. In addition, a large number of regulations and orders were made under this act, such as, for example:

Regulations

National Health Insurance, Statutory Undertakers Total

Exception Regulations 1939.

National Health Insurance Exception Regulations 1942

National Health Insurance Exception Regulations (No. 2) 1942

National Health Insurance Exception Regulations 1943

National Health Insurance, Statutory Undertakers Total

Exception (Amendment) Regulations 1946

Orders

Subsidiary Employments Order 1937

Subsidiary Employments Order (No. 2) 1937

Contractors for Manual Labour Exclusions Order 1937

Employment under Local and Public Authorities Order 1937

Employment under Local and Public Authorities (Northern Ireland) Order 1937

Outworkers Order 1937

Sharefishermen Order 1937

Employments (Exclusion and Inclusion) Order (Scotland) 1937

Subsidiary Employment Order (Northern Ireland) 1938

The full information requested is not readily available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

It would not be appropriate to list all the employers who from time to time obtained exception under these provisions, even if the information were available. However, in September 1946, there were some 440 employers with excepted employments in Great Britain and 135 in Northern Ireland. No information is available on the proportion of those employers whose employment was excepted.