§ 3. Mr. BATEYasked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the commissioners in the county of Durham are extending their operations where miners are living in colliery houses and reducing supplementary benefit on the grounds that they are not paying rent; and what action he proposes to take?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to a similar question on 23rd February.
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI think that that supplementary question is one 'which has been asked and answered before, and that the statement was made that it was a matter within the discretion of the commissioners, who are, no doubt, prepared to take all the circumstances into account.
§ 4. Mr. BATEYasked the Minister of Labour the number of cases where supplementary benefit has been reduced and the number abolished up to the latest available date in the county of Durham; and the total amount of money saved and the total cost of the commissioners and their staff since the 1st December, 1932?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThe latest available figures of determinations as to need given by the commissioners in Durham County for the period since their appointment were given in reply to a similar question by the hon. Member on 23rd February. It is estimated that the expenditure on transitional payments during the period from the beginning of December, 1932, up to 4th February, 1933, was about £50,000 less than if all the determinations current during the period had been given by the public assistance committee in accordance with their practice prior to December. The total cost of the commissioners and their staff from 1st December, 1932, to 31st January, 1933, was about £9,350 in addition to non-recurrent charges amounting to £2,085.
§ Mr. BATEYDoes the Minister remember that the former figures were only up to 7th February, and that it is now 16th March; and surely it is possible to give another month's figures?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI have made inquiries on that point. I am told that these figures are taken out every month, but we have not yet got later figures than those which I have given. I am expecting them every day, and the moment I get them I shall be willing to inform the hon. Member of them.
§ 5. Mr. BATEYasked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of recent cases where the county of Durham Commissioners have reduced transitional payments to the extent of the whole of the applicant's War pension (instead of the 50 per cent. allowed by the Act) or by a large proportion of widow's pensions that come into the home, he will state what action he proposes to take?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONAs regards disability pensions, I am assured that the Commissioners are complying fully with the requirements of the Determination of Need Act. As regards widows' pensions, these are not subject to special statutory provisions and must therefore be taken into account, but I have no reason to believe that in dealing with cases where such income is present the Commissioners do not pay full regard to all the circumstances of the case.
§ Mr. BATEYIf I supply the Minister with the name and address of a man, with four years' War service, whose benefit has been reduced by the whole amount of the War pension, will he look into that case?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONIf the hon. Member has any such case, perhaps he will send it to me.
§ 6. Sir PERCY HARRISasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that public assistance committees, in the administration of the means test, are refusing to make allowances for the payment of premiums on endowment policies; whether this has been recommended by the Ministry of Labour; and, if not, whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThis is not a matter upon which it would be competent for me to make any recommendation. It is for the authority concerned to decide in any particular case how far they are justified when determining the needs of a household in treating as necessary outgoings expenses outside the ordinary requirements of maintenance.
§ Sir P. HARRISFrom the information which is available, can the Minister say whether this practice is general throughout the country?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONNo, I cannot, but I think that the information required by the hon. Member is information for which he ought to ask the Ministry of Health. I have not got it.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSIf these determinations are based upon an absolute destitution test, can the right hon. Gentleman state how the persons referred to could afford any such thing as endowment insurance premiums?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONOf course I do not accept that phrase "destitution test," but, again, if hon. Members ask me for information of that kind, the only answer that I can give is that it is not within my province, and I have not got it.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSBut if such cases do exist, would the right hon. Gentleman intervene, to see that these people are not deprived of the payment?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThere, again, I have no power to intervene in any case. This is a matter, I understand, within the purview and authority of the public assistance committee.
§ 10. Mr. SMEDLEY CROOKEasked the Minister of Labour the number of disabled men that were receiving transitional payment at the last convenient date; and, of that number, how many were in receipt of a disability pension of 70 per cent. or under?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThere are no separate statistics showing the number of disabled men drawing transitional payments. The figures only show the total number of men and women, respectively, with applicatilons for transitional payments.
§ 16. Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Labour whether further inquiries have been made into the administration of transitional payments by the West Riding, Yorks, public assistance committee with regard to gross and nett earnings; and if he will state the nature of the reply?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThis is a matter for decision by the public assistance authority, who I am informed, have their basis of assessment under review at the present time.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSIs the Minister aware that for three months the West Riding Public Assistance Committee have been applying a scale based upon gross earnings, which, in mining areas, means actually more than double the amounts received by mine-workers?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI was not aware of that, but, if the hon. Member states it as a question of fact, of course I accept it. My answer is that the authority have their basis of assessment under review at the moment.
§ 28. Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Labour the number of claims for transitional payment considered, and the number refused, during the last two months of 1932 and the first two months of this year in the Don Valley and Rother Valley areas, respectively?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONIt is not the practice to compile these figures except for authority areas, but I will see whether I can obtain the figures for the separate Committee areas for which the hon. Member asks, and will communicate with him.
§ 25 and 26. Mr. COVE (for Mr. ANEURIN BEVAN)asked the Minister of Labour (1), how many of the unemployed persons of the ages 18 to 20 have had their transitional payment reduced on account of family income;
(2), how many heads of families in receipt of transitional payment have had the payment reduced on account of wages earned by children of the family?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI regret that statistics giving the information desired are not available.
27. Mr. PRICEasked the Minister of Labour how many of the 248,408 unemployed persons of the ages 18 to 20 have 2112 exhausted their right to unemployment benefit and are in receipt of transitional payment?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONOf the 248,408 unemployed persons aged 18 to 20 on the registers of Employment Exchanges in Great Britain at 20th February, 1933, 55,556 had applications authorised for transitional payments.