§ 3. Mr. HENDERSON STEWARTasked the Minister of Labour if he has considered the copy sent to him of the resolution of 5th March, passed by a meeting of the County and Burghs of Fifeshire Transitional Payments Officers Association; and whether, and how, he proposes to meet the request contained 1988 therein for safeguarding the position and employment of the staffs now working under public assistance departments?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI have received a copy of this resolution, the subject of which—as I said on 15th February in reply to the hon. Member for Deritend (Mr. Smedley Crooke)—is a matter on which I hope to have an opportunity of making a statement at the appropriate stage in the consideration of Part II of the Unemployment Bill.
§ 4. Dr. LEECHasked the Minister of Labour whether he will give an assurance that, when the new Unemployment Bill becomes law, consideration will be given to the engagement for work in connection with the Unemployment Assistance Board of those available persons who have been for the past three years exclusively engaged in the administration of transitional payments?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThe engagement of staff will rest with the Unemployment Assistance Board, but I have no doubt that full consideration will be given by them to the claims of the persons to whom my hon. Friend refers.
§ Mr. GLEDHILLMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he is prepared to make any recommendations to the new board?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONThat is entirely a matter for the board.
§ 5. Mr. THORNEasked the Minister of Labour whether the appointed day for payment of the 40 per cent. relief to local authorities has yet been fixed; if not, whether the 1st April, 1934, can be selected, in view of the fact that local authorities close the financial year on 31st March; and if he will state whether, in the event of a later date being selected, financial assistance will be afforded to distressed areas to cover the period from 1st April to the appointed day?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 1st March to a similar question by the hon. Member for Birkenhead East (Mr. White), of which I am sending him a copy.
§ Mr. THORNEMay I ask the Minister of Labour when he will be in a position to state when the appointed 1989 day is to be fixed, because he must know that many local authorities have been framing their budgets accordingly, and the result will be that they will lose a lot of money if they do not know the date?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONObviously, I am not in a position to give any indication when the date will be fixed, because I do not know when the Bill will become law.