§ Mr. DEVLINasked the Minister of Labour whether, if the unemployment donation is to be limited in its application to Ireland, these limitations will apply equally to Great Britain; how he proposes to differentiate between the various trade unions in Ireland; and how he can discriminate as between the workers in Liverpool and Glasgow on this side and Belfast on the other?
§ Mr. WARDLEThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, for the reasons given in my reply to the hon. and learned Member for York on the 17th February. Eligibility for donation will be dependent upon the occupation of the applicant, and not upon membership of any particular trade union, so that the question of differentiation as between one trade union and another does not arise. As regards the towns mentioned, the workers in Belfast will come within the scheme which is applicable to Ireland, which, I may point out, will include the insured trades and any other trade certified by the Lord Lieutenant as one in which a substantial amount of unemployment has been directly caused by the cessation of hostilities.
§ Major LLOYD-GREAMEasked the Minister of Labour whether it has been decided to continue the payment of unemployment donations to persons in receipt thereof after the expiration of the thirteenth week of payment; and, if so, at what rate or rates?
§ Mr. WARDLEIn the case of policies on which out-of-work donation has been drawn for thirteen weeks it has been decided that donation shall not be continued except in cases where a recommendation to this effect, on the ground that the applicant is normally in employment, is genuinely seeking work, and is unable to obtain it, is made by a body to be requested to undertake a scrutiny of such policies. There will be an interval of at least one week before donation again becomes payable to such approved applicants. In cases where the donation is continued it will be at the rate of 20s. a week for men and 15s. a week for women with supplementary allowances for dependent children under fifteen years of age at the previous rates, namely, 6s.for the first child and 3s. for each additional child. In the case of boys and girls between the ages of fifteen and eighteen the rate of1434W donation, where it is continued, will be half that for adults, namely, 10s. a week for boys and 7s. 6d. a week for girls. It is proposed that this new scale shall be paid in approved cases for a further period, not exceeding thirteen weeks.
§ Lieutenant-Colonel W. GUINNESSasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that dissatisfaction as to the administration of the out-of-work donation exists in Great Britain as well as in Ireland; and whether he will reform the method of checking the genuineness of claims in both kingdoms?
§ Mr. WARDLEThe administration of the out-of-work donation scheme is being carefully watched. There is no reason to doubt the genuineness of the claims generally, but certain additional checks which the working of the scheme has shown to be desirable are being instituted. If the hon. and gallant Member will bring to my notice any specific causes of the dissatisfaction I will be glad to make inquiry into them.