§ Mr. T. DAVIESasked the Minister of Labour whether a friendly society which has since 1911 carried on an unemployment association for the benefit of its members under Section 106 of the National Insurance Act, 1911, will be permitted to form an association under Section 17 of the Unemployment Insurance Bill, 1920, on complying with the conditions as to benefits beyond the flat rate set out in the proviso to the last-mentioned Section?
§ Sir R. HORNEThe association to which my hon. Friend refers, would be able to enter into an arrangement for the payment of State benefit under Clause 17 of the Bill, subject to the required conditions being satisfied. The chief of these conditions are that the association should provide out of its own funds, unemployment benefit of not less than a specified amount, and that it should have an effective system for notifying to its unemployed members, opportunities of employment. The latter of these conditions is applied by Regula-474W tions to the corresponding arrangements made under the Unemployment Insurance Acts, 1911 to 1919, and would be similarly applied under the Bill.
§ Mr. FORRESTasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the official estimate of the liability of the State under the Unemployment Insurance Bill?
§ Sir R. HORNEI have been asked to reply to this question. As stated in the Memorandum prefixed to the Unemployment Insurance Bill, the annual cost to the Exchequer under the Bill will be from £3,000,000 to £4,000,000. For further details I would refer my hon. Friend to the Report of the Government Actuary published as Command Paper 498, on the Financial Provisions of the Unemployment Insurance Bill of last Session. Certain changes have been made in the Bill as re-introduced this Session, but these do not affect appreciably the cost to the State.