§ 30. Mr. STEPHENasked the Minister of Labour the number of workers' representatives who have acted as members of the courts of referees since the new Act came into operation to the latest available date at the Bridgeton Employment Exchange, Glasgow; the number of times each of them has been summoned to act as a member of the court and the number of claims at the Bridgeton Exchange, Glasgow, which have been decided by incomplete courts of referees consisting 552 of one and two persons, respectively, since the coming into operation of the new Act to the latest available date; the number of claims which have been refused; and the number refused without the applicant being given the right of appeal to the Umpire?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI have already furnished this information to my hon. Friend in my letter of 20th May.
§ Mr. STEPHENWhile thanking the Minister for sending me the letter to which she refers, may I ask, arising out of the answer which she sent to me, does she realise that there is great dissatisfaction in Glasgow owing to these one-man courts, and will she take steps to give these people an opportunity of having their cases re-heard?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI have repeatedly urged that those who are assessors on the courts of referees should take their duties very seriously and should attend the courts. I think it is entirely optional for the insured person to wait for a full court, and I do not wish to interfere with that option; but I would urge very strongly, and anyone who has influence with the assessors should urge on them very strongly to attend the courts regularly.
§ Mr. STEPHENIs the Minister aware that when applicants have asked for a full court they have been informed that their case will be put off for a fairly long time, and that pressure has been brought to bear on them at the Exchanges to take incomplete courts?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI am not aware of that fact.
§ Mr. C. WILLIAMSIs the House to be allowed to have the information which, I gather, was conveyed to the hon. Member for Camlachie (Mr. Stephen) by letter?
§ Miss BONDFIELDCertainly. I only gave it in that form to the hon. Member because it was a local matter.
§ Mr. ERNEST BROWNWould it not be desirable that we should have that information, because we are anxious to know about the number of these assessors and whether they are always summoned to the court?
§ Miss BONDFIELDCertainly. The information will be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the information:
§ The number of representatives of insured contributors on the panel of Bridgeton Court of Referees is 34. During the period 13th March to 8th May they were all summoned to attend sittings of the court; four of them on five occasions, 14 on four occasions, 11 on three occasions, four on two occasions and one on one occasion only. The four members who were summoned twice only had asked to be summoned as rarely as possible, and the member who was summoned once only was known to be available only to a limited extent. Of the 34 panel members, 26 attended sittings of the courts on one or more occasions.
§ During the same period the number of claims heard by incomplete courts consisting of one and two persons were 697 and 1,093 respectively. Of these 1,565 were disallowed, leave to appeal to the Umpire not being granted in 1,552 cases.
§ 32. Mr. STEPHENasked the Minister of Labour the names of the workers' representatives on the court of referees at Bridgeton Employment Exchange, Glasgow, and the nominating body for each of the representatives named?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI am obtaining the information desired and I will let my hon. Friend have it as soon as possible.
§ Mr. STEPHENMay I ask the Minister to expedite these inquiries, because I have found that there is a fair amount of delay on these matters, and I would like to get this information as quickly as possible?
§ 33. Mr. BUCHANANasked the Minister of Labour if she is aware that the courts of referees in Glasgow gave decisions in Glasgow contrary to the decisions given by the umpire before the umpire's decisions were known; if any steps have been taken to review the decisions so given; and, seeing that ever since the decisions were so given the referees are not operating them, if she proposes to take steps to deal with the situation?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI am aware that certain claims decided by courts of referees in Glasgow may require review 554 in the light of umpire's decisions subsequently issued. The necessary action is being taken to identify such claims and to refer them again to the court of referees where necessary. As regards the last part of the question, I am not aware that the courts are failing to give effect to the umpire's decisions.
§ Mr. BUCHANANIs the right hon. Lady aware that in Glasgow a large number of these decisions were given prior to the umpire's decisions being known; and is she taking steps to see that all these cases are reviewed?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI said so in my answer.
§ 34. Mr. BUCHANANasked the Minister of Labour if she is aware that at the Glasgow South Side Exchange the chairman of the court of referees signed a letter to various applicants for unemployment benefit stating to them that their claim bad been decided on another case, and that as a result their claim to benefit could not be granted; that this letter was in direct conflict with the recent Act; and what steps, if any, she has taken in the matter?
§ Miss BONDFIELDThis matter was brought to my notice at the beginning of April. As my hon. Friend knows, it was immediately corrected and each claimant concerned was given the opportunity to have a personal hearing.
§ Mr. BUCHANANIs the Minister aware that, in view of the illegal action taken by the chairman of this court of referees to deprive claimants of benefit, no applicant has confidence in him; and would it not be better for everybody concerned if this chairman mere now changed?
§ Lieut. - Colonel Sir A. LAMBERT WARDIs it not the rule that every case should be decided on its individual merits?
§ Miss BONDFIELDThat is the whole point. A mistake was made by the chairman of the court of referees. That mistake has been rectified, and every individual claimant specially notified that they have that right. In the transfer over from one system to the other, I venture to say that there has been very little confusion of this kind. That is rather a matter for congratulation than otherwise.
§ Mr. BUCHANANMay I ask for an answer to my supplementary question, whether, in view of the deliberate illegal action of the chairman of the court of referees in sending a letter to deprive these people of their benefit, it would not be better in the interests of all concerned, if a change were made?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI must take exception to the term "deliberate illegal action."
§ Mr. BUCHANANThen, in view of the action taken, which has created lack of confidence, would it not be better for everybody, as he has little knowledge of the new Act, if he were changed?
§ 35. Mr. BUCHANANasked the Minister of Labour if she is aware that, throughout the Glasgow and West of Scotland Exchanges, large number of applicants and persons who appear with them are dissatisfied at the treatment they receive at the hands of the chairman of the court of referees, particularly where he is alone present, and that the number of persons refused under condition (b) is greater than in other districts in England; and if she proposes taking any steps to alter the situation?
§ Miss BONDFIELDThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. I am aware that the proportion of disallowances on the ground referred to, as also of the total number of new claims, was relatively higher in Glasgow than in the country as a whole, but I have no power to interfere with the machinery of decision as prescribed by the Acts.
§ Mr. BUCHANANDoes this not prove that the question I raised earlier is substantially true, that the chairmen of the courts of referees in Glasgow are harsher and more vindictive and have less cognisance of the Acts of Parliament than in any other part of the country?
§ Mr. SPEAKERMr. Day.
§ Mr. BUCHANANrose—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member cannot take up so much time during Questions.
§ Mr. BUCHANANSurely I am entitled to ask a supplementary question whether the right hon. Lady has no power to stop this, and see that these poor people are as decently treated as she would desire? It is shocking that this should go on.
§ Mr. SPEAKERMr. Day.