§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many miners dismissed by the National Coal Board have been refused unemployment benefit since 5 March.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe information is not readily available and be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what criteria his regional adjudicators use to 425W assess reports from pit managers that the industrial dispute is over and a pit has returned to normal working before awarding unemployment benefit; and how he intends to ensure consistency in pit managers' recommendations of what constitutes normal working.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkRegional adjudication officers hold independent appointments under social security law and Ministers are precluded from intervening in the adjudication process. I understand, however, that the chief adjudication officer has recently issued guidance aimed at ensuring consistency in the treatment by adjudication officers of information received from pit managers.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment why the onus of proving normal working after a trade dispute rests with the claimant of unemployment benefit; and what access to records the claimant has to ascertain this.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkSocial security—formerly national insurance — commissioners' reported decisions which form precedent case law place this onus on the claimant. Copies of decisions are available in the Library and can be seen by claimants at local offices of the Department of Health and Social Security.
426W
Public expenditure—Wales £ million (1983–84 base) 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 16.1 Agriculture, fisheries and food 69 73 61 65 79 81 74 70 70 16.2 Industry, energy, trade and employment (excluding tourism) (1) 91 101 106 84 74 108 135 150 110 Other Services (1) 16.3 Industry, energy, trade and employment (tourism only) 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 10 10 16.4 Roads and Transport 282 275 287 293 309 275 261 270 290 16.5 Housing 299 255 136 132 198 123 115 110 110 16.6 Other environmental services 279 268 256 268 260 249 249 260 250 16.7 Education 648 666 661 669 673 655 634 620 620 16.8 Arts and libraries 28 27 27 27 27 27 27 30 30 16.9 Health and personal social services 788 849 871 897 916 937 946 960 970 16.10 Other public services 28 26 25 25 30 29 29 30 30 Total other services 2,356 2,371 2,268 2,316 2,419 2,301 2,267 2,290 2,310 16.11 Nationalised industries' external finance 54 33 33 30 25 26 24 20 10 Total expenditure within the Secretary of State's responsibility 2,569 2,578 2,468 2,495 2,597 2,516 2,500 2,530 2,490 Of which: Financed by ERDF receipts 6 11 26 24 25 25 38 37 37 Of which: Central Government support for the Welsh language — 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 (1) Memorandum table Total expenditure within the Secretary of State's responsibility includes the following (a) under industry, energy, trade and employment (excluding tourism) Development Board for Rural Wales 14 8 9 9 9 10 9 — — Welsh Development Agency 70 80 86 59 44 41 40 — — Total 84 88 95 68 53 45 49 — — (b) under other services Housing Corporations 36 36 36 47 41 37 36 — — New Towns 9 12 5 -1 2 2 -11 — —
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what account his adjudicating officers take, when assessing eligibility for unemployment benefit for dismissed striking miners, of the existence of an overtime ban when assessing whether a pit is to be classified as working normally.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkAdjudication officers hold independent appointments under social security law and consequently I cannot comment on or intervene in the adjudication process.