§ Major HORE-BELISHAasked the Minister of Labour what provision, if any, is being made for established men of His Majesty's Dockyards to recover the contributions paid by them under the National Unemployment Insurance Act, seeing that these men have contributed towards unemployment benefit for many years prior to their becoming established, and on establishment they cease to subscribe and on discharge are ineligible for the unemployment benefit; and, seeing that most of these men are under the age of 50 years and cannot now claim the refund, will he provide some means whereby these men will be able to recover some of the contributions paid by them before establishment?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThere is no provision under the Unemployment Insurance Acts (for the refund of contributions properly paid merely on the ground that the contributor subsequently ceases to be insurable. The contributions cover the risk of unemployment during the time for which the contributor is insurable and for a certain period thereafter, and it would not be consistent with the principles of an insurance scheme to refund them on the ground that the risk has not materialised in the particular case.