§ 75. Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked whether a man out of employment and registered at a Labour Exchange is required to sign each day he is unemployed; that if he obtains employment on the Tuesday following the waiting days he is required to attend the Labour Exchange on the Friday before 5 p.m. in order that he may receive the 1s. 2d. due to him for Monday; that this procedure means in many cases the forfeiting of an hour's work, but unless followed out the 1s. 2d. goes back to London and the insured person has probably to wait some three weeks before it is returned; and whether he can so amend this regulation that a person placed in the manner described can authorise some responsible person to receive the money due to him and thus prevent delay?
Mr. ROBERTSONI think the hon. Member is under a misapprehension. It is not the fact that on an unemployed man obtaining employment he is required to call before five o'clock on Friday in order to obtain any amount of benefit due to him. It has been specially arranged that in the case of men who are employed on Friday any benefit due to them may be claimed and paid either on Friday evening or Saturday. It is further not the case 332 that if the workman fails to claim the amount due to him on the Friday on which it is due that the claim form is returned on that day to the divisional office. Arrangements have been made whereby the claim form is kept at the local office till the Friday following the day on which payment was due. Special arrangements have also been made to meet the case of a workman who applies for payment subsequent to this later date.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEWould the hon. Gentleman be surprised if I stated he has misread my question from beginning to end?