Social Security (Employment Injuries Insurance) Act (1952)
Social Security (Insurance) Act (1955)
Social Security (Non-Contributory Benefits and Unemployment Insurance) Act (1955)
Social Security (Closed Long-Term benefits and Scheme) Act (1996)
Social Security (Open Long-Term Benefits) Act (1997)
 

The three main types of benefit paid under the Social Security (Employment Injuries Insurance) Act are:-

1. Injury Benefit
2. Disablement Benefit, and
3. Industrial Death Benefit

In addition free medical treatment for employment injuries or occupational diseases including the provision and renewal of prosthetic appliances is provided at the Government Hospital.

Disablement Benefit is a regular weekly payment or lump sum awarded for any disability, which remains, when your injury benefit ends. The amount of benefit depends on the extent of your disablement as assessed by a Medical Board. For a disablement of less than 35% you may receive a lump sum. The amounts payable vary from £510 for 1% to £8,560 for 34%.

If your disablement is 35% or more you may receive a pension of up to £87.64 a week. If the Medical Board consider that the disablement is going to last all your life or not less than 7 years, instead of the pension, you may elect to receive a lump sum. The amount payable varies from £8,890 for 35% to £24,770 for 100%. The weekly rate of disablement pension can be increased for certain dependants.

If an accident or disease results in death, death benefit is payable to the dependants of the dead person. Death Benefit is payable by way of pension to the widow, widower or wholly dependent parent of an insured person, whose death results from an industrial accident or a prescribed occupational disease. The pension is payable at the rate of £53.80 a week and may be increased by dependant’s allowance.

Where there is no widow or widower, children or parent, there is provision for certain other dependants to claim, in which case the benefit is by way of a gratuity of £2,770.

(i) The Social Security (Non-Contributory Benefits and Unemployment Insurance) Act covers the entitlement and payment of Unemployment Benefit to unemployed persons previously in employment. Payment of benefit is financed by the weekly contributions made by employers and insured persons to the Social Insurance (Short-term Benefit) Fund.

(ii) Unemployment Benefit is a weekly payment made to any contributor (other than a self-employed person) who is unemployed, capable of, and available for work. Being available for work is a basic condition for anyone claiming unemployment benefit. This benefit is not payable to persons over 65 (men) and 60 (women). The contribution conditions for entitlement are as follows:-

(a) During the fifty-two weeks immediately preceding the claim not less than thirty contributions had been paid; or

(b) The yearly average of contributions paid or credited to that person is not less than thirty.

The standard weekly rate is £57.00 with an increase of £28.00 a week for any one adult dependant and £13.00 a week for each child. The weekly rate payable to young persons (i.e. over 15 but under 18) without dependants is £28.00.

The Social Security (Closed Long-Term Benefits and Scheme) Act and the Social Security (Open Long-Term Benefits Scheme) Act also provides for the payment of Guardian’s Allowance and Widow’s Benefit.

(i) Guardian’s Allowance is a payment of £20.15 a week to the person who takes into his family an orphan child both of whose parents are dead. Special rules apply to the children of divorced parents, adopted children, illegitimate children and children whose parents cannot be traced.

(ii) Widow’s Benefits is payable to the widow of a deceased insured person who has satisfied the necessary contribution conditions. There are three kinds of widow’s benefit, only one of which is payable at any one time, as follows;-

(a) Widow’s Allowance, which is payable for the first 13 weeks of widow-hood at the standard rate of £93.67 per week with increases of £11.40 per week for each child up to a maximum of four children;

(b) Widowed Mother’s Allowance, which is payable to a widow left with a dependent child when she finishes drawing her widow’s allowance. The standard rate is £78.97 per week with increases of £11.40 per week for each dependant child;

(c) Widow’s Pension which, subject to certain qualifying conditions, is payable to widow’s under pensionable age on termination of widow’s allowance or widowed mother’s allowance. The standard rate is £78.97 per week;

(d) Widower's Pensions was introduced in July 1977. This benefit is payable to a widower who is and has been permanently incapable of self-support for not less than ten years and has been wholly or mainly maintained by his wife during that period. This pension is awarded if his wife’s contribution conditions are satisfied. The standard rate is £78.97 per week.

The Social Security (Insurance) Act provides for the payment of Maternity Grant, Maternity Allowance and Death Grant.

Maternity Grant is a grant of £400 paid to a woman for every child born to her. If she is confined of twins or a greater number of children, she will be paid £400 for each child.

The benefit may be paid on either the mother's own insurance or her husband's but not on both. Subject to satisfying the contribution conditions, the full grant of £400 is payable.

(2) Maternity Allowance is a weekly benefit of £87.64 paid for 18 weeks, starting from 11 weeks before the expected week of the birth, but not for any period when paid work is done.

To receive a maternity allowance:-

(a) you must have paid contributions as an employed person under the Social Security (Insurance) Act for at least 26 weeks in the 52-week period ending in the 15^th week before the expected date of confinement, and

(b) have exercised your right to maternity leave in accordance with the Employment (Maternity and Health and Safety) Regulations.

(3) A Death Grant is a grant of £400 paid to a person who incurs the cost of the funeral or other appreciable expenses, such as the purchase of mourning, connected with the death of an insured person or on the death of the wife, widow, husband, widower or child of an insured person.