§ 40. Mr. LOWTHasked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that a number of employers in the Manchester district refuse to sign any papers presented to them by men seeking employment, thereby destroying the only evidence an applicant for employment could produce to satisfy the rota committees or Employment Exchanges, and the men are thereby charged as not genuinely seeking employment and are refused insurance benefits; and will he cause inquiries to be made immediately into the matter?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI will inquire into the matter, if the hon. Member will let me have particulars of any specific cases which he has in mind where benefit has been refused on account of the failure of the applicant to produce notes from employers. I must, however, dissent from the view that such notes are the only possible evidence an applicant for employment could produce to satisfy a rota committee, and this is made perfectly clear in the current directions to committees.
§ Mr. R. RICHARDSONIs the hon. Gentleman not aware that rota committees are insisting on written proof of attempts to find work by the unemployed?
§ Mr. BETTERTONNo, I am certainly not aware of that.
§ Mr. OLIVERCould not spine scheme be devised by the Ministry to place the onus of proof on the rota committees if they dispute the statement of the workmen?
§ Mr. BETTERTONThat is an entirely different point. If the hon. Member will look at the directions to local committees, which are in the Library, he will find the instructions in paragraph 48 which meet the point he has in mind.
§ Mr. OLIVERPerhaps the hon. Gentleman is not aware that it is not 531 the workman who is not carrying out the instructions, but the rota committee not standing by them.
§ Mr. BETTERTONIf the hon. Member can bring any such cases to my notice I will gladly go into them.