§ 3. Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Labour on whose authority courts of referees are disallowing claims for unemployment benefit on the ground that the applicant has failed to apply for work at certain industrial establishments outside their own area; and whether any special instructions have been given to courts of referees during the last three months?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThe courts of referees are independent statutory authorities whose decisions cannot be questioned except on appeal to the umpire. No instructions are given to the courts but copies of important decisions by the umpire are sent to them.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in Doncaster mine workers are being called before the court of referees because they have failed to apply for work at Sheffield, 15 miles away, where there are already 15,000 unemployed?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThe hon. Member did not give me any particulars in his question, but I have made some inquiries of the cases in his district, and I find that in some the decision of the court of referees was unanimous; in others, it was not. Those cases in which the decision was not unanimous should be taken to the umpire.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSMay I ask on whose authority courts of referees are suspending benefit on the ground that persons 1087 have not made application for jobs in districts other than their own where there are already thousands of unemployed?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThey do so on their own authority. I have no authority over courts of referees.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSMay I ask whether in such cases he will make representations to the courts of referees not to apply the not-genuinely-seeking-work provision?
§ Mr. LAWSONIs the right hon. Gentleman's interpretation of the law the proper one?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThe hon. Member must not ask me for my opinion on a point of law, certainly not across the Table of the House. As I have pointed out, the proper course is to go to the Umpire, over whom I have no authority.
§ 4. Mr. DAVID GRENFELLasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons who have been denied unemployment benefit by reason that they were not likely to obtain insurable employment, that they were seasonal workers, or that they had reached the age limit, respectively, during the two years preceding 31st October?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONAs the reply is somewhat long, I will, if I may, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the reply:
§ During the period 13th October, 1931, to 31st October, 1933, 278,291 claims were disallowed by courts of referees in Great Britain on the ground that the applicants had not proved that they were normally insurable and would normally seek to obtain a livelihood by means of insurable employment. The number of claims disallowed during the same period under Anomaly Regulation (B) relating to seasonal workers was 54,087. Statistics showing the number of persons who ceased to be entitled to benefit upon reaching the age of 65 are not available. These figures relate to claims and the number of separate individuals concerned is not available.