HC Deb 07 November 1921 vol 148 cc173-6

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act there shall, while this Act continues in force, be payable to every person who is an unemployed worker within the meaning of this Act towards the maintenance of his wife and dependent children a grant at the rate provided by this Act: Provided that—

  1. (a) where the husband of an unemployed worker is prevented by physical or mental infirmity from supporting himself and is being maintained wholly or mainly by his wife the grant under this Act shall, instead of being payable as herein-before provided, be payable to the wife towards the maintenance of her husband and her dependent children; and
  2. (b) no grant shall be payable under this Act in respect of a wife who is in receipt of unemployment benefit 174 under the Unemployment Insurance Acts, 1920 and 1921, or under any special scheme made under those Acts, or who is in regular wage-earning employment, or is engaged in any occupation ordinarily carried on for a profit.

(5) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— The expression "wife" means a wife who is living with or is being maintained wholly or mainly by her husband, and includes a person who is living as his wife with the person claiming a grant, and any female person who is residing with a person claiming a grant for the purpose of having the care of his dependent children and is being maintained by him:

Lords Amendment:

In Sub-section (1), after the word "children" ["wife and dependent children a grant"], insert or in the case of an unemployed worker being a woman who has a husband or children dependent on her, towards the maintenance of that husband and those children".

Dr. MACNAMARA

I beg to move "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."

This is the first of three Amendments inserted in the other place. It is a drafting Amendment, and the same remark applies to the next Amendment to leave out paragraph (a), and to that on the next page to leave out the word "a."

Lords Amendment:

In Sub-section (1), leave out paragraph (a).

Agreed to.

Lords Amendment:

In Sub-section (1, b), leave out the word "a" ["for a profit"].

Dr. MACNAMARA

I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."

The omission of this word is for drafting purposes.

Lords Amendment:

After Sub-section (1) insert a new Sub-section— (2) Where a female person is residing with an unemployed worker who is a widower or unmarried, for the purpose of having the care of his dependent children and is being maintained by him, or has been and is living as his wife with a person who is such an unemployed worker as aforesaid, a grant under this Act shall be payable to the unemployed worker in respect of that person at the same rate, in the same manner and subject to the same conditions at, in and subject to which a grant would be payable to him under this Act if that person were his wife.

Dr. MACNAMARA

I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."

The addition of these words, while it is again drafting, is more than that. It carries out an undertaking which I gave when the Bill was in this House. The effect is that a woman living with a claimant as his wife is not now included under the definition of wife, but her right to a grant is brought into the Bill. This is to bring the provision with regard to the housekeeper into its proper place.

Lords Amendment: In Sub-section (5), leave out the words "and includes a person who is living as his wife with the person claiming a grant, and any female person who is residing with a person claiming a grant for the purpose of having the care of his dependent children and is being maintained by him, and insert and for the purposes of this Act a husband shall be deemed to be dependent on his wife if he is prevented by physical or mental infirmity from supporting himself and is being maintained wholly or mainly by her.

Dr. MACNAMARA

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment. This Amendment completes the undertaking to which I have just referred. By deleting from the definition "wife" a woman living with a claimant as his wife. The Amendment brings into the definition Sub-section an invalid husband which we introduced into the Title.

Mr. A. WILLIAMS

Can we have an assurance from the right hon. Gentleman that this Amendment does not alter the sense, and that it is only drafting? I have only just seen the Amendment, and it is rather difficult to follow at the present moment. Can he assure us that the Bill, as it left the House of Commons, is not substantially altered in regard to the housekeeper and the unmarried wife?

Dr. MACNAMARA

When the Bill left this House the expression "wife" meant a person living with or who is being maintained wholly or mainly by her husband, and includes a person who is living as his wife with the person claiming a grant, and any female person who is residing with a person claiming a grant for the purpose of having the care of his dependent children and is being maintained by him. The definition, with this Amendment inserted, will read: The expression 'wife' means a wife who is living with or is being maintained wholly or mainly by her husband and for the purposes of this Act a husband shall be deemed to be dependent on his wife. The other Amendment, which refers to the case of a woman living with a man has been brought in earlier, and so it can be set in juxtaposition. For the rest, the substantive part of the Bill is not affected.