§ 21. Mr. DAYasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the great percentage of claims for unemployed insurance for which applicants are refused benefits at the Walworth Road (Borough) Employment Exchange, on the ground that they are not making every reasonable effort to obtain suitable employment; and whether any special instructions have been issued to this exchange on this subject?
§ The MINISTER of LABOUR (Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland)I assume the question relates to claims disallowed on the ground that the claimant is not genuinely seeking work. The percentage of claims so disallowed is not higher than at other comparable exchanges. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.
§ Mr. DAYCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether there is any definite rule by which these particular applicants are refused benefits on the ground that they are not genuinely seeking work?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDNot that. I am aware of. So far as 1 am aware this Exchange judges these cases after receiving the Umpire's decision like other Exchanges.
§ Mr. DAYBut is it not a fact that at this particular Exchange 30 per cent. of the refusals are on those particular grounds?
§ Mr. KELLYCan the right hon. Gentleman say if any record is kept as to the number of cases heard and the number refused?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI think I can ascertain those figures if the hon. Member will put down another question.
§ Mr. W. PALINGIn view of the fact that the number of these cases has steadily grown, will the right hon. Gentleman answer the last part of the question as to whether special instructions-have been issued to this particular Exchange?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI have not omitted to give an answer to the second part of the question. The answer is in. the negative.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSIs it not a fact that various Employment Exchanges are sending unemployed persons to seek employment in districts where there happens to be already 200 or 300 unemployed, and will the right hon. Gentleman tell us why that is done?
§ 22. Mr. WALTER BAKERasked the. Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called to the case of Mr. H. Pillinger, of 3, Reformatory Bristol Road, Kingswood, (Class. No. L482/12,152, Kingswood Exchange), whether he is aware that Mr. Pillinger was employed at the engineering works of Messrs. Douglas. for 10 years; that he left that employment in October, 1924, as the result of illness; that Mr. Pillinger was under medical treatment for three-and-a-half years, and was subsequently certified as fit for work during March, 1928; that, after he had signed on at the Employ- 2103 ment Exchange on the 13th March, he drew six weeks' benefit; that Mr. Pillinger's unemployment benefit was then stopped on, the ground that he had had no reasonable period of employment during the previous two years, but that, as a result of representations made on the 10th July by the hon. Member for East Bristol, arrears for a period of 12 weeks were paid; and that, despite this favourable decision, the claim to benefit was again rejected at the beginning of October, Mr. Pillinger being refused permission to appeal to the Umpire on the ground that be had not received official consent for that course; and whether he will state the reason for this last decision?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThis claim was reviewed by the Court of Referees in accordance with the usual procedure on 3rd October. The Court recommended disallowance of benefit and did not give leave to appeal to the Umpire. I have no power to intervene.
§ Mr. BAKERIs the Minister of Labour prepared to justify the action of his Department in refusing benefit to a man in those circumstances?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI have nothing to justify. When there is any doubt about a claim it is brought before the Court of Referees, and that is a statutory Court to deal with the matter.
§ Mr. BAKERIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that this man was under medical treatment for 3½ years, and that then he was refused benefit on the ground that he had done insufficient work during the previous two years?
§ Mr. SPEAKERWe cannot have a debate on this question.
§ 30. Mr. PARKINSONasked the Minister of Labour how many mineworkers have been disqualified for benefits in the Wigan Employment Exchange district for, as alleged, not genuinely seeking work since 1st January, 1928; and how many mine-workers have had their benefits suspended for the same reason but, after investigation, have been reinstated to benefits?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI regret that statistics of the disallowance of benefit are not available in respect of -particular industries or occupations.
§ 31. Mr. PARKINSONasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons, males and females, respectively, who have had their unemployment benefits stopped in the Wigan Employment Exchange district since 1st January, 1928?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDAs the reply is somewhat long, I will, if I may, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the reply:
§ During the period 17th January, 928, to 18th April, the claims for extended benefit of 382 males and 258 females were recommended for disallowance by the Wigan local employment committee. Statistics for the same period of the disallowance of claims for standard benefit made at Wigan are not available. During the period 19th April to 12th November the claims made at Wigan of 914 males and 680 females were disallowed by insurance officers and the claims of 67 males and 22 females were recommended for disallowance by Courts of Referees in cases where 78 days' benefit had been received during the preceding six months. The disallowances by insurance officers were subject to the right of appeal to Courts of Referees.
43. Lord HENRY CAVENDISHBENTINCKasked the Minister of Labour how many miners have been disqualified from extended unemployment benefit in the last six months; and how many men in other classes of work have been similarly disqualified?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDUnder the provisions of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1927, extended unemployment benefit was discontinued as from 19th April, 1928. During the six months 14th May to 12th November, 1928, 72,020 claims to benefit have been disallowed, subject to the right of appeal to Courts of Referees, under the transitional conditions prescribed by Section 14 (2) of the Act of 1927. Separate statistics of these disallowances in respect of individual industries or occupations are not available.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSIn view of the acknowledged statement which has been made by many Ministers, including the Prime Minister, that there are at least 200,000 miners who will never get back to work in the mines, does the right hon. 2105 Gentleman think it fair treatment for 72,000 miners to be deprived of their benefit?
§ Mr. RAMSAY MacDONALDDo we understand that the names of these 72,000 miners are now removed from the list from which these weekly unemployment figures are compiled?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDIn the first place, I have already stated that it cannot be claimed that these are miners. As I indicated in my answer, I cannot state the industries in which they are, because we have not the records. In the next place, they are not removed from the weekly statement of unemployment. So far as they are claiming, or their books are lodged in the Exchange, we can still reckon them among the number unemployed.
§ Lord H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCKHas the Minister's attention been drawn to the statement made by the ex-Mayor of Cardiff at the Mansion House meeting last Wednesday, that the Ministry of Labour were cutting off as many men as they could from extended benefit in South Wales; and cannot his Department, at all events, stop contributing in this way to the misery in that district?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI have already given figures in this House which show that any statement of that kind is entirely contrary to the facts.
§ Mr. J. H. THOMASCould the right hon. Gentleman give any approximate idea as to how many of these 72,000 will necessarily be taken off the live register and not shown as unemployed?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI cannot give the right hon. Gentleman any exact number, but I can assure him that the vast proportion of them, if not every one, will appear in the live register, because, so far as persons make claims, they come into the live register, and, even if they have to apply to the board of guardians, the practice which is becoming almost universal with boards of guardians is to require that a person who comes to them for relief shall also claim and register at the Exchange, which means that they will come into the live register.