§ 25. Mr. LECKIEasked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the hardship to many Walsall men owing to the ruling of his Department that able-bodied men in receipt of
§ the information for which he asks, in respect of the month of October, 1932, in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ outdoor relief, for whom the Walsall Town Council have found work for a specified period each week, are not insurable under the National Health Insurance Acts; and whether he will reconsider this ruling or take steps to enable the contributions paid both by the men and their employers to be refunded?
§ The MINISTER of HEALTH (Sir Hilton Young)I am bound in this matter by the terms of the Acts, and, as the men are not employed under a contract of service, I have no power to treat them as insurable. If they are unemployed for the rest of the week, their Health Insurance cards may be franked at the Employment Exchange. Any claim for a refund of contributions would need to he supported by certain details, particulars of which I will send to the hon. Member.