§ Mr. Palmerasked the Minister of Labour how many grants of money have been made to ex-Servicemen resident in the borough of Wimbledon under the Government Resettlement Scheme.
§ Mr. IsaacsSeven grants have been made under this scheme to persons living in the Wimbledon area, and 12 other applications are at present under consideration.
§ Captain Crowderasked the Minister of Labour, why an ex-Serviceman, who has had to close his business as a result of circumstances arising out of the war, is not eligible for a resettlement grant if he wishes to use the money to re-open a different type of business; and if he will reconsider this condition governing the award of these grants.
§ Mr. IsaacsThe object of the Resettlement Grants Scheme, apart from the special provisions in regard to disabled persons, is to give some financial assistance, where necessary, to a man who was in business or work on his own account, which he had to relinquish as a direct result of his war service, in order that he may re-start his former business. This scheme forms part of the Government's general resettlement plans and is designed to help a self-employed person to reinstate himself in his former business, as the Reinstatement in Civil Employment Act has as its object the reinstatement of an employee in his former occupation.
Consideration is, however, given to applications to re-start in a project of broadly the same type as the original business, as it is realised that circum stances arising out of the war may, in some cases, make re-starting in precisely the same line of business difficult, or impossible.