HC Deb 03 March 1932 vol 262 cc1243-6
1. Mr. MANDER

asked the Minister of Labour if he will issue a further circular for the guidance of public assistance committees recommending that in suitable cases applicants on transitional benefit under the means test should not be obliged to deplete their savings to approximately £15, but that a higher figure should be permitted and only the interest taken into consideration?

19 and 20. Mr. STONES

asked the Minister of Labour (1) if he is aware that the various urban district councils in the Farnworth division have passed resolutions calling for an alteration in the regulations governing the means test; and will he consider taking steps to have the law altered to avoid possible harshness of application of the regulations in future;

(2) whether his attention has been drawn to representations by various Lancashire guardians' committees to the public assistance committee at Preston that the regulations governing the application of the means test are penalising thrift; and whether he will consider taking steps through legislative or other channels to ensure that only the income from savings, investments or property will be assessed in estimating family income?

The MINISTER of LABOUR (Sir Henry Betterton)

I would refer my hon. Friends to the reply given to a number of questions on the subject of the needs test on 19th November last. The manner in which the resources of an applicant and of the household in which he lives are to be taken into account is within the discretion of the local authority, subject to the provisions of the Order in Council, and I cannot add to the considerations to which the notice of authorities has already been drawn in the circulars issued from my Department. I have no reason to believe that public assistance authorities, in considering whether applicants are in need of transitional payment, do not take properly all the circumstances into account. I cannot undertake to introduce legislation on these matters in advance of the report of the Royal Commission on Unemployment Insurance.

Mr. MANDER

Do I understand that the public assistance committees are perfectly free to exercise their own discretion as to the way in which they deal with this matter?

Sir H. BETTERTON

If the hon. Member will look at the answer—a very full one—which I gave on the 19th November, he will see what my views on that matter are.

Mr. KIRKWOOD

If an engineer who is unemployed goes to the Employment Exchange, and if his son and daughter are working and bringing in £2 15s. a week between them, and he is cut off, does the right hon. Gentleman say that that is correct?

Sir H. BETTERTON

I could not give an answer on any particular point without knowing all the facts and the reasons for the decision.

13. Mr. PRICE

asked the Minister of Labour how many men, women and young persons were refused transitional benefit after examination by public assistance committees in the months of January and February, 1932?

Sir H. BETTERTON

During the five weeks ended 23rd January, 1932, it was decided by public assistance committees in Great Britain, in the case of 80,089 applications by men and 33,299 by women, that the needs of the applicants did not justify transitional payments being made. Persons under 18 years of age are not entitled to transitional payments. Figures for February are not yet available.

17. Mr. TINKER

asked the Minister of Labour the number of those who have had their claims for transitional benefits examined by the public assistance committee for the area of Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley who are single persons; how many have been allowed full benefit; how many partial benefit; and how many disallowed benefit altogether?

Sir H. BETTERTON

I regret that separate statistics for single persons are not available.

53. Mr. LECKIE

asked the Minister of Health whether he will undertake to call a regional conference of representatives of public assistance committees in the Staffordshire area with a view to correlating the administration of transitional benefit and the means test?

The MINISTER of HEALTH (Sir Hilton Young)

I will certainly consider this suggestion.

2. Mr. KIRKWOOD

(for Mr. McGOVERN) asked the Minister of Labour the number of single men and single women, also married men, in Glasgow who have been refused benefit as a result of the application of the means test?

Sir H. BETTERTON

The total number of applications on which the Glasgow public assistance committee decided that the needs of applicants did not justify payment, was 13,527 up to 23rd Janu- ary, 1932. I regret that I cannot give separate figures for single and married persons.

16. Mr. HAMILTON KERR

asked the Minister of Labour whether any local authorities have definitely refused to carry out public assistance work in connection with transitional benefit?

Sir H. BETTERTON

No, Sir, I am happy to say that all local authorities are co-operating in the administration of the transitional payments scheme.