§ 60 and 61. Mr. K. Lewisasked the Minister of Labour (1) whether he will take steps to pay a mid-week lodging allowance to any workers in the North-East who secure work in the Midlands, provided the income they earn in the Midlands is not appreciably more than it would be in the North-East;
§ (2) whether he will take steps for special railway vouchers to be made available free from the North-East to the Midlands to those who wish to take up work in the Midlands and to travel there on a Sunday evening and back to their 906 homes in the North-East on a Friday or Saturday.
§ Mr. WhitelawUnder the Ministry's Resettlement Transfer Scheme unemployed men who take up work away from home may receive lodging allowances if they maintain dependants in the home area. They may also receive three assisted fares home a year. My right hon. Friend will consider the possibility of increasing the number of assisted fares in the year.
§ Mr. LewisWill my hon. Friend bear in mind that the present system does not go nearly far enough, that in the summer we may find very low unemployment in the Midlands while there is still a quite high unemployment rate in the North? We cannot build factories in the North quickly enough, and we certainly will not be able to put up houses in the Midlands speedily enough to bring people from the North to the Midlands. Therefore, if we could bring the unemployed from the North to the Midlands to work mid-week, especially the young men, this would be of great advantage to them and to the economy.
§ Mr. WhitelawI note what my hon. Friend says. My right hon. Friend is certainly prepared to consider whether the provisions for assisted fares to return home should be reviewed in present circumstances.