§ 40. Mr. GOLDSTONEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that insurance cards are being marked at a Labour Exchange in a manner which indicates the number of days per week an insured person is employed, instead of showing the amount of his weekly contributions; whether he is aware of the prejudice which attaches to a workman whose card shows irregularity of employment; and whether he will take action to ensure that the method of marking the insurance cards at Labour Exchanges shall be made uniform with that in use by employers of insured persons?
Mr. ROBERTSONI presume that my hon. Friend refers to the over-printed stamps affixed by the Labour Exchanges in cases where an arrangement has been made with an employer under Section 99 of the National Insurance Act to stamp the workman's book. That Section provides that all periods during which a workman engaged through a Labour Exchange is employed by one or more 791 employers, with whom an arrangement has been made, may be treated, for the purposes of contributions under Part II. of the Act, as a continuous period of employment, and provision may be made for a refund of contributions accordingly. The object of the over-printing showing the number of days worked in respect of which the contribution is paid is to enable the Exchange to calculate the amount of the refund due to a workman so engaged. I have received no complaints from either employers or workmen as to this practice, and, for the reason stated, I do not at present see how it is possible, having regard to the question of ultimate refunds, to adopt any other course.