The system had to be funded entirely by a payroll tax levied half on employers and half on workers, so that it could be presented to the nation as a sort of contributoryinsurance plan.
CNN: A Debt-Threatened Dream
2.
They voted by 324 to 265 to throw out an amendment from Baroness Meacher which called for young people who have never been able to work due to illness or disability to receive "contributory" ESA - usually paid to those who have paid a certain amount of National Insurance.