§ Mr. Hall-Davisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in view of the changed level of unemployment since the seasonal worker regulations were introduced, he will amend the regulations to exclude from disqualification from unemployment benefit as seasonal workers men over the age of 60 years and women over the age of 55 years, many of whom can now obtain work only when employment levels are at the seasonal peak.
§ Mr. OrmeNo. The regulations were considered recently by the national insurance advisory committee and its report was published in November 1977—Cmnd 6991. The majority view of the committee was that, subject to certain easements, there was still a need for additional conditions for the receipt of unemployment benefit in the case of all persons classified as seasonal workers if the rights of the main body of contributors were to be safeguarded.
As I announced in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield and Tamworth (Mr. Grocott) on 23 November 1977, the report was accepted by the Government and we have no proposals for any further modification at the present time.—[Vol. 939, c. 756–7.]