§ 82. Dame Irene Wardasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will investigate the regulations governing the payment of unemployment benefit to seasonal workers, as operated in respect of disabled men and women, with a view to improving them.
§ Mr. N. MacphersonThe rules affecting seasonal workers are kept under constant review in my Department. A change introduced last May enabled dis-138W abled persons who are seasonal workers to get unemployment credits on the same terms as other unemployed people and thereby to safeguard their entitlement to retirement pensions and other National Insurance benefits. But so far as unemployment benefit is concerned I agree with the view expressed by the National Insurance Advisory Committee that it would not be appropriate to introduce special provisions to enable seasonal workers who are disabled to get unemployment benefit on more favourable terms than other seasonal workers during those parts of the year when they are not normally in employment.