§ Mr. HAYDENasked the Minister of Labour whether it is contemplated within the next few days to remove from Ireland the Divisional Insurance Office which, since the Act came into force, has had charge of unemployment insurance work 1885W in Ireland; whether the work of this office, including the decision of claims of Irish workmen, is proposed in future to be transacted in Kew; whether, before this proposal was approved, there was any consultation of Irish opinion and, if so, what was the nature of it; and whether, in view of the inconvenience which would be caused by this transfer and of the public pledges given when the National Insurance Act was going through Parliament, the scheme will be definitely abandoned or at least postponed until Irish public opinion and the public convenience can be ascertained?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the other parts of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade on the 17th October, 1916 (of which I am sending a copy), to the question of the hon. Member for East Edinburgh raising similar points with regard to the transfer of this work from Scotland.
§ Mr. HAYDENasked the Minister of Labour what duties are to be discharged in future by the insurance officers connected with the divisional insurance office in Ireland; whether these officers will be capable of acting as heretofore after the transfer of records and documents to Kew; whether claims of workmen to benefit are to be sent direct to Kew; and whether he has considered the legality of passing over the insurance officers appointed for certain areas under the Sections mentioned.
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§ Mr. BRIDGEMANThe statutory duties! of insurance officers will, in future, be performed at the Claims and Record Office, Kew. Claims to benefit will be sent direct to Kew, but when benefit is disallowed and appeals are lodged with the local Court of Referees the procedure will be supervised as heretofore by the divisional office at Dublin. One assistant insurance officer has been transferred from Dublin to Kew, and the change will not have any considerable effect as regards the other assistant insurance officers at Dublin, most of whom are engaged on work not connected with the authorisation of claims to benefit. The insurance officer has since the outbreak of war been acting as divisional officer owing to the absence of the divisional officer on active service. As regards the last part of the question, there does not appear to be any legal difficulty, inasmuch as the Minister is authorised to specify the areas for which insurance officers shall act.