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all employees and labour mobility, which is an
important ingredient in our economic success,
would be threatened. But to provide arrangements
which met these criteria would mean setting up
a machinery which would amount, in effect, to a
universal compulsory private scheme although no
insuperable difficulties are seen at this stage
in providing for this, if necessary by legislation.
The public might expect some form of Government
supervision of a private scheme: particularly of
the provisions applying to those changing and
leaving employment. The question might then
arise as to whether it is best for Government to
take over the entire scheme. It should not, however,
be difficult to provide for Government oversight
of a private scheme in view of its experience in
administering existing social security schemes.
In any event, Government supervision would be
required in any contributory scheme.
Semi-voluntary Contributory Scheme
12.
The main advantage of the scheme proposed in the
Green Paper is that, by giving a choice to the employee,
it would raise none of the possible political difficulties
of a compulsory scheme, nor would it run up against any
employee resistance: only those who wished to would
participate. It would, therefore, provide a valuable
extension of social security in a way that was acceptable
to the participating public. The disadvantages are :
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