§ Mr. Gallacherasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that Unemployment Assistance Board officers have 427W been threatening applicants in receipt of war distress allowances that these will be withdrawn if they do not accept any job offered them, irrespective of past trade or occupation; and whether he will see that such applicants are allowed to exercise their legal right to refuse unsuitable employment?
§ Mr. E. BrownI am informed that those applying under the scheme for the prevention and relief of distress are almost invariably persons who have no normal occupation by way of insurable employment, and while the question of suitable employment for a person who has hitherto worked on his own account may occasionally give rise to difficulty, I am not aware of any general complaint on this matter. I would point out that any person aggrieved by a decision of the Board's officer can appeal to the Appeal Tribunal.
§ Mr. Gallacherasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that in many eases Unemployment Assistance Board fail to use their full powers to grant war distress allowances in the case of men whose private businesses, or opportunities of self-employment have been ruined by the war, and that, particularly, such persons have been refused as being out of scope after doing a few weeks' temporary work following the outbreak of war; and whether he will impress upon the Board their duty to give the most favourable consideration to all bona fide claims of war distress?
§ Mr. BrownMy information is that the Board endeavour to apply the scope qualification of the Prevention and Relief of Distress Scheme as liberally as possible. Difficulties do, however, sometimes arise in deciding whether the failure of a business or other cause of distress is directly attributable to the war or to some other circumstance, and if the hon. Member has any particular case in mind and will let me have particulars, I will ask the Board to have inquiries made.