Interdepartmental Committee report recommending the following benefits and services as the initial step in the development of the whole welfare scheme as envisaged by the Cabinet Committee: a free health service embracing medical and hospital benefits as subject to the specific recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee; an unemployment benefit as-of-right for a limited period followed by an unemployment benefit at a rate modified in accordance with need; taking the existing pensions provisions as a basis and adding additional pensions for widows without children and orphans at rates relative to those already in existence to widows with children, as well as increasing the age limit in respect to dependent children from 15 to 16 and providing minimum amounts for each group of pensioner; the commencement of a contributory pension scheme; inauguration of a contributory scheme for benefits; and a sickness benefit to provide against the contingency of involuntary loss of wages or income arising through sickness or accident. The existing services with the extensions proposed were estimated to cost £18 million in the initial year, half to be found by special tax on wages or other incomes and the other half from the consolidated fund.