That this House is dismayed that a person can work for 37 years and pay full national insurance contributions, be made redundant due to a pit closure, then in two subsequent years obtain full national insurance credits, topped up only with four voluntary contributions, suffer a heart attack and then be refused consideration for invalidity benefit on the grounds that he does not have sufficient contributions or credits to his name; notes that this has happened to Mr Tindall of 69 Staniforth Avenue, Highwood Park, Eckington, Derbyshire, because he went on a fortnight's holiday in 1988 after being badly advised at an unemployment benefit office, thus cutting across three weeks during which he could otherwise have signed on for work and that he also started work in the final week of the 1988-89 tax year and thereby lost a further credit; notes that Mr Tindall made voluntary payments to cover these four 'missing' weeks but that these contributions can only be used for pension purposes and not for invalidity benefit considerations; further notes that Mr Tindall cannot qualify for income support due to his wife's modest earnings; believes that a great injustice has been done due to the inflexibility of current Government rules; and calls for the necessary changes in the regulations forthwith.

That this House is dismayed that a person can work for 37 years and pay full national insurance contributions, be made redundant due to a pit closure, then in two subsequent years obtain full national insurance credits, topped up only with four voluntary contributions, suffer a heart attack and then...