§ 67. Mr. ALLEN PARKINSONasked the Minister of Labour if he will reconsider the attitude taken up by his Department, in connection with applications for grants from the Unemployment Grants Committee, in refusing to issue a certificate as to serious unemployment in any district unless the number of unemployed reaches the standard fixed by the Department, as the basis of its recommendation to the committee, and consider the necessity of abolishing such standard and of issuing certificates in respect of any area where unemployment exists, with a view to a proportionate grant being made to any local authority whose schemes for the relief of unemployment are approved by the appropriate Government Department?
§ Sir M. BARLOWI am afraid I cannot adopt this suggestion, because it would defeat the object with which these grants were instituted, namely, that of assisting the districts in which the burden of unemployment is greatest. I should add that the standard adopted by the Ministry is much below the average unemployment for the whole country, and all relevant circumstances are taken into account before a decision is reached.