§ Mr. BOWENasked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the fact that the umpire has decided in the case of Mr. C. Newton, of Crewe, that under the terms of the Unemployment Insurance Acts the wife of claimant is regarded as engaged in an occupation ordinarily carried on for profit on the ground that such applicant's wife makes a practice of taking in boarders for odd periods and of making a charge of 4s. 6d. per day for bed, tea, and breakfast, she will consider the advisability of amending the existing regulations so as to provide that dependants benefit shall not be disallowed when the average sum from such source of income is not over 4s. per day?
§ Miss BONDFIELDThe conditions for the receipt of dependants benefit are laid down by Statute. By virtue of an amendment made by the Unemployment Insurance Act which has just become law, a claimant's wife would not be disqualified for dependants benefit by the provision of board and accommodation for not more than one lodger as a member of the family. As the matter was dealt with so recently, I cannot undertake to propose any further amendment at present.