§ Sir F. SANDERSONasked the Minister of Labour if he will have special inquiry made in regard to the position of sub-postmasters, of whom some 4,000 are concerned, and unemployment insurance before Parliamentary sanction is given to the Order now lying upon the Table of the House, which is designed to bring these sub-postmasters within the scope of the Unemployment Insurance Act, whereas it is claimed by them that they can obtain little or no benefit therefrom?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThis matter has been fully considered, and I do not think further inquiry is necessary. The Order referred to by my hon. Friend expresses in legal terms, for the purpose of unemployment insurance, the practice which has always been followed both under the health and under the unemployment insurance schemes, i.e., that Sub-postmasters who render service for not less than 18 hours a week and are mainly dependent upon the earnings derived from their Post Office employment, cannot properly be excepted from the Acts on the ground that their employment as 6ub-postmaster is subsidiary. On the other hand, sub-postmasters whose employment as such is subsidiary to some other occupation are so excepted in respect of their employment as sub-postmasters.