§ 32. Colonel BALDWIN-WEBBasked the Minister of Labour the number of beet-workers who have been disallowed transitional payment in Shropshire and elsewhere, respectively, as the result of the Anomalies Act?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI am in communication with my hon. and gallant Friend upon the position of beet workers in certain areas, and I am sending him some figures which bear on his question in respect of these areas. An extension of similar inquiries to a number of other areas would be a heavy task which I hope he will not press me to undertake.
§ Colonel BALDWIN-WEBBI should like to press for the information, because I feel that the matter has not been dealt with equally throughout the country. Will the right bon. Gentleman give me the information?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI do not know whether the bon. and gallant Gentleman has got the letter I sent which deals very fully with the question on the Order Paper.
§ Colonel BALDWIN-WEBBYes.
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI will see if I can get the further information for which the hon. and gallant Member asks, without undue expense.
Colonel BALOWIN-WEBBIf a worker, rather than remain out of work, takes work of this kind for; one or two seasons, and he cannot get any other work in addition, is he classed as a seasonal worker?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThe bon. and gallant Gentleman says that he has received my letter. He cannot have read it, because that is exactly the point that I dealt with.
§ Captain HEILGERSWill the right bon. Gentleman take steps to ensure that workers know that they can claim exemption from paying unemployment contributions?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI will see what can be done in order to make the provision perfectly clear to those who are in doubt about it.
§ Mr. LANSBURYWill the tight bon. Gentleman not print the letter, or that part of it that concerns this question, so that we may all know?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONPerhaps the best thing would be to have a. question put down to which I can give a reply containing the whole or the substance of the answer which I have given in the letter, which is a very long one. I desire that the full facts should be known.
§ Mr. BUCHANANIs the right bon. Gentleman not aware that men who take this work are refused benefit on the ground that they are seasonal workers under the Anomalies Act, and, seeing that it is a case of a decent man taking work, what steps does the right bon. Gentle 164 man propose to take, apart from any letter, to see that these men are not penalized because they obtain work?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThat point has not a direct reference to the question on the Paper. The question is not whether a man is regarded as a seasonal worker simply because he has taken on seasonal work, but whether the employment counts as seasonal; and that is a question which is decided by the statutory authority, not by me.
§ Mr. BUCHANANWhy should a man who takes on work of this kind be refused benefit? Will not the right bon. Gentleman take steps to see that these men are not penalised because they leave their own districts and seek work rather than be unemployed?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThe point mentioned by the bon. Member involves an alteration in the law, which is now being construed by the statutory autbority in the manner I have suggested.
§ Mr. BUCHANANI do not intend to press the matter.
§ Sir M. WOODCarl we have an assurance that this question will be comprehensively dealt with in the new legislation to be introduced in the autumn?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI have already said that all these questions relating to unemployment benefit are being comprehensively considered at the present time.
§ Lieut.-Colonel ACLAND-TROYTEWas not the Anomalies Act a piece of Socialist legislation?