21. Mr. YOUNGasked the Minister of Labour whether a set of rules is issued to Employment Exchange officials for their guidance in determining the amount of benefit due to unemployed persons; if so, whether a dissatisfied applicant is, on request, entitled to see the rule which is said to affect him; and what is the effect of Clause 3 of Rule 40, on which a woman worker was recently informed her benefit had expired?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI am unable to identify the particular rule to which my hon. Friend refers, but I may say that the normal procedure provides that a claimant for benefit shall be formally notified of the ground for disallowance of a claim to benefit. In the particular case referred to by my hon. Friend, it appears that the ground for disallowance was that contributions had been exhausted by the benefit paid, but I should be glad to make further enquiry if he would furnish me with the necessary particulars.
23. Mr. YOUNGasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that Mrs. E. Gibbs, 17, Hope Street, Earlstown, Lancashire, the wife of an ex-soldier, who has been unemployed for eight months, is entitled to benefit under the Unemployment Acts and is registered for work, but is refused benefit on the ground that she is a married woman; and whether this decision is in accordance with instructions issued by his Department?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe claimant named in the question has drawn the maximum amount of benefit to which she 393 is entitled in respect of contributions, namely, 48 days since the date of her claim in January of this year. On the exhaustion of this benefit, she claimed under the Act of 1921, which provides for the payment of free benefit in the first instance for 16 weeks. An examination of the case shows that this claimant, who is a married woman resident with her husband, is unable to satisfy the conditions which have been laid down as necessary to be satisfied by applicants under this Act, and payment of benefit has, accordingly, been suspended.