§ Mr. NIELDasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, when an application under Section 105 of Part II. of the National Insurance Act, 1911, is made by an association of workmen to make arrangements as to the payment of unemployed benefit, any steps are taken to examine the rules of such association and to satisfy the Board that such rules are reasonable and equitable as between the workman member and the association as a condition precedent to the granting of such application; whether the Board are aware that sums paid by them to an association which has made such an arrangement in respect of unemployed benefit of a member of such association have been impounded by the association to pay arrears in the following order: Fines and general levies, local levies, contributions; and that, in consequence of such impounding of the workman's unemployed benefit, he has been left wholly penniless and the object of the Act has been defeated; and whether he will take steps to prevent a continuance of these practices?
§ Mr. PRETYMANThe Board of Trade examine the rules of the associations in order to see, among other things, that the rates of unemployment benefit payable by the association satisfy the statutory conditions. The arrangement does not of itself preclude the association from making deductions from payments of benefit on account of sums due from the individual 1953W member to the association in accordance with its rules, though naturally if such deductions were carried to a point which would nullify the general objects of the arrangement, the Board of Trade would consider whether the arrangement should be continued. If my hon. Friend will bring to my notice any particular cases in which it appears that hardship has been occasioned they will be looked into. I should add that a workman, even if he is a member of an association which has such an arrangement, is nevertheless entitled to obtain his unemployment benefit under Part II. of the Act direct from a Labour Exchange or other local office of the Unemployment Fund instead of through the
1954W
Year. Number of Births Registered during the Year. Number of Exemptions Received during the Year. Percentage of Exemptions to Births. Percentage of Children ultimately unvaccinated. 1906 … 935,081 52,391 5.6 16.8 1907 … 918,042 57,675 6.3 20.4 1908 … 940,383 162,799 17.3 27.9 1909 … 914,472 190,689 20.9 32.3 1910 … 896,962 230,947 25.7 36.3 1911 … 881,138 248,483 28.2 38.9 1912 … 872,737 275,929 31.6 42.9 1913 … 881,890 308,235 35.0 Figures not yet available. 1914 … 878,822 321,280 (approximately). 36.6 (approximately). Figures not yet available. association; and even if he has, in the first instance, made a claim through the association, he may at any time convert his claim into a direct claim.