POOR LAW EMERGENCY PROVISIONS (SCOTLAND) BILL. (Hansard, 4 November 1921)

§ LORD STANMORE

My Lords, under the law of Scotland, Poor Law relief can be given only to persons who are disabled as well as destitute. In England destitution is the only qualification for giving relief to the able-bodied. The main object of this Bill, which is a temporary measure, is to make the practice in this respect the 185 same in Scotland as it is in England. In the past expedients had to be adopted in Scotland to mitigate the hardships that would be caused by too close an adherence to the law. For instance, hunger has been regarded as disablement, and in periods when there has been much unemployment the parish councils, which are the bodies who distribute relief in Scotland, have disregarded the test. of disablement.

During the present period of unemployment the Scottish Board of Health issued a circular to parish councils at the instigation of the Cabinet, urging them to grant relief to destitute, unemployed able-bodied persons as expedient, and, in the long run, less expensive. Parish councils have, without exception, done their best to carry out this recommendation. Clause 1 of the Bill regularises this practice, and prevents persons who will not take up work from being entitled to relief. The clause provides that parish councils are to be satisfied as to the inability of the applicants for relief to obtain employment. This clause also proposes that this modification of the Poor Law Act shall be retrospective, and have effect as from April 19 of this year.

On the suggestion of the Board of Health, certain parish councils gave relief to able-bodied unemployed during the coal dispute, and Clause 2 authorises parish councils, with the consent of the Board, to borrow a sum approved by the Board. The existing powers of the parish council enable it to borrow to the extent of one half of its unpaid assessment for the year for the purpose of carrying on its poor law functions. This power has, with some exceptions, been sufficient to enable parish councils to provide not only their ordinary Poor Law relief, but, also relief for the destitute unemployed This state of things, however, cannot last much longer, and it is therefore necessary to give the parish councils further powers of borrowing. It is recognised that it is highly desirable that this money should be repaid at as early a date as possible, and the policy of the Board in fixing, as they are authorised to do by the clause, the period for repayment of the loan, is that sanction will be given to the extended period only when they are satisfied of the ability of the parish to pay interest during that period. Clause 3 provides that the. Act will lapse at the end of the present financial year— that is to say, on May 15— but there is power to continue it for another year. I beg to move.