§ 11 .Mr. Gallacherasked the Minister of Labour whether it is the practice of area officers of the Unemployment Assistance Board to deduct rent from allowances paid to persons who are participating in rent strikes; and whether instructions will be issued forbidding the intervention of the Board's officers in disputes between tenants and landlords?
§ Mr. E. BrownIt is not the Board's practice to intervene in disputes of this kind, but in determining the amount of the allowance in any case the Board are bound under the Regulations to have regard to the question whether any, and, if so, how much, rent is in fact being paid. If the hon. Member has any particular case in mind and will let me have the details, I will have inquiry made.
§ Mr. GallacherIs the Minister aware that I have seen a letter from an official suggesting that such action will be taken. 2591 and if I show him the evidence, will he take steps to stop this practice?
§ Mr. J. GriffithsCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether, in the event of these unemployed men being compelled to pay the rent at some time in the future, the Unemployment Assistance Board will make allowances to meet such payments?
§ 12. Mr. Gallacherasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that Mr. R. H. Geisler, 83, Studley Grange Road, London, W 7, was fined at Hanley Police Court for keeping his daughter away from school although he had informed the school authorities that the reason for the girl's absence was lack of footwear, and that his inability to provide footwear was due to the fact that he was unaware of his right to supplementary benefit from the Unemployment Assistance Board in view of his large family; and whether, in view of such cases, he will consider the necessity of displaying posters at all Employment Exchanges advising applicants of their rights to draw supplementary benefit from the Unemployment Assistance Board under certain circumstances?
§ Mr. BrownThe terms of the poster relating to unemployment assistance have been reconsidered, and a revised poster making specific reference to the position of persons in receipt of unemployment insurance benefit is now being printed and will be issued in a few days to all local offices of the Ministry. As regards the case mentioned I am informed by the Board that an allowance in supplementation of unemployment insurance benefit was granted as long ago as 18th May last.
§ 15. Mr. Gordon Macdonaldasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons in receipt of unemployment assistance in the administrative county of Lancaster, and of the 17 associated county boroughs on the latest date for which figures are available?
§ Mr. BrownAs the reply includes a table of figures, I will, if I may, circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the statement:
§ Table showing the numbers of payments of unemployment assistance allowances (exclusive of allowances in supplementation of insurance benefit) made through Employment Exchanges in the administrative county of Lancaster and in each of the associated county boroughs during the week ended 14th July, 1939:
| Area. | Number of payments. |
| Administrative county of Lancaster | 20,594 |
| County Boroughs: | |
| Barrow-in-Furness | 680 |
| Blackburn | 4,727 |
| Blackpool | 1,109 |
| Bolton | 3,042 |
| Bootle | 5,735 |
| Burnley | 3,312 |
| Bury | 791 |
| Liverpool | 26,971 |
| Manchester | 13,447 |
| Oldham | 4,022 |
| Preston | 1,893 |
| Rochdale | 1,464 |
| St. Helens | 3,691 |
| Salford | 2,884 |
| Southport | 599 |
| Warrington | 930 |
| Wigan | 4,011 |
| Total—Lancashire | 99,902 |
§ 19. Mr. Ness Edwardsasked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the fact that in April, 1939, 26.6 per cent, of the applicants for unemployment assistance in the Bargoed area and 32.8 per cent, of similar applicants in the Caerphilly area required additions to scale allowance for nourishment purposes, he is prepared to re-investigate the claim that the present scale allowances are inadequate to meet the needs arising out of long-term unemployment?
§ Mr. BrownThe additions to which the hon. Member refers are given irrespective of the duration of unemployment and are designed to meet needs arising from some specific cause such as illness in the applicant's household. I cannot agree that the fact, that use is made of the discretionary powers contained in the Regulations to meet special needs of this kind is a ground for suggesting that a general revision of the scales is called for.
§ Mr. EdwardsWhat degree of suffering has to obtain in South Wales before the Minister will be prepared to meet these cases?
§ Mr. BrownI cannot accept that at all. The hon. Member knows that the average payment per applicant is now higher than it ever was.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsDoes the right hon. Gentleman say that there is no suffering?
§ 21. Mr. Bateyasked the Minister of Labour the amount that was saved by the Unemployment Assistance Board owing to the means test during 1938; and the estimate of the amount for this year?
§ Mr. BrownI regret that it is not possible to add anything to the information given in a reply to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Dalton) on 16th July, 1936, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy.
§ Mr. BateyIs the Minister aware that the Unemployment Assistance Board gave these figures in the 1937 report, and if they could do it then, why cannot they do it now?
§ Mr. BrownI cannot agree with the hon. Member's statement. On many occasions I have given a long and reasoned reply on that matter.
§ Mr. BateyIs not the Minister aware that in 1937 the Board reported that the total amount going into the households where the means test applied was £19,000,000, and that 25 per cent. was used to reduce the benefits?
§ Mr. LawsonIs it not a fact that the Minister does not want to give the figures?
§ 22. Mr. Bateyasked the Minister of Labour the amount paid to unemployed persons by the Unemployment Assistance Board for the year 1935 and the estimate for 1939?
§ Mr. BrownThe total amount paid to applicants for assistance to the Unemployment Assistance Board during the financial year 1935 was £42,569,000. The 2594 provision for the financial year 1939 made in the Estimates is £38,875,000; it is expected that the actual expenditure will be less than this sum but it is not possible at this stage to give any definite figure.
§ Mr. BateyAs there has been a reduction of £6,000,000 in payments, could not the Government agree to abolish the means test?
§ Mr. BrownNo. The reason for the reduction is happily this, that when the Board was established it was estimated that they would be dealing with an average roll of 800,000 long-term unemployed, whereas at present the figure is 456,000.
§ 23. Mr. Bateyasked the Minister of Labour the amount of money going into households under the means test from the following sources during 1938: sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, old age pensions, widows' and orphans' pensions, and blind pensions?
§ Mr. BrownI would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a similar question by the hon. Member for Aberdare (Mr. G. Hall) on 22nd June, 1939, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy. It is estimated that of the sum of £13,157,600, shown in that reply as earnings, about £8,600,000 represents the earnings of sons or daughters of applicants, and about £1,900,000, the earnings of brothers or sisters.
§ Mr. BateyIs the Minister aware that the answer to the hon. Member for Aberdare (Mr. G. Hall) gave only the amount for old age pensions, widows' pensions and blind pensions, and did not deal with sons and daughters, or brothers and sisters?
§ Mr. BrownI have done my best to supplement that in the answer I have just given. I am always glad to oblige.
§ 26. Mr. Johnasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons in receipt of discretionary allowances at the following area offices: Treorchy, Tonypandy, Ferndale and Porth?
§ Mr. BrownSuch information as is available is based upon a 5 per cent. sample of cases current on 7th October, 1938. This sample indicates that in the Board's administrative district of Cardiff, which includes the areas of Treorchy, 2595 Tonypandy, Ferndale and Porth, 14,880 determinations out of a total of 28,740, representing 51.8 per cent., included discretionary additions. While such a sample gives reasonably accurate results in relation to an administrative district as a whole, it is not sufficiently large to be used as a basis for separate statistics for individual areas.
§ Mr. BrownIt would not be possible without a complete examination. At the moment, I do not think such an examination would be justified.
§ 31. Mr. Horabinasked the Minister of Labour whether he can state, as on the last convenient date, how many domiciliary visits are paid by means-test investigators in the Southern area which involve journeys out and home of over 25, 50 and 100 miles?
§ Mr. BrownI regret that the information desired by the hon. Member is not available and could not be obtained without a special detailed examination in the Board's local offices of the individual travelling records of the investigating officers who carry out the work of domiciliary investigation in the Board's southern region.