HC Deb 06 July 1925 vol 186 cc54-5W
Mr. MACOUISTEN

asked the Minister of Labour if he will explain why John Livingstone, Alexander Cameron, Robert Cameron, Allan Cameron, John Mackinnon, John L. Campbell, Duncan Cameron, John Cameron and Hugh McColl, of Fasendale, Kilchoan, Oban, Argyll, who are engaged for periods of from 16 to 24 weeks, at least, in Ardnamurchan salmon fishing, who are levied upon for unemployment benefit, and who when the salmon fishing stops are at times able to find employment in agricultural labour, are yet in times of unemployment persistently refused unemployment benefit, although they have paid into the unemployment fund for all the weeks that they are employed at the salmon fishing; and whether, if such refusal be persisted in, they may be relieved from the obligation of paying unemployment contributions while engaged at the salmon fishing?

Mr. BETTERTON

From the particulars given in the question it has been possible to trace only six of the nine cases mentioned. The men are seasonal workers, and the Umpire has ruled generally in such cases that, in order to satisfy the statutory conditions for the receipt of unemployment benefit during the "off-season" they must show to the satisfaction of the statutory authorities, namely, the insurance officer, the Court of Referees and the Umpire, that during that period they normally engage in some other occupation. I understand that the claims were disallowed by the chief insurance officer. The men appealed to the Court of Referees, who upheld the

Land Drainage Schemes for the A lleviation of Unemployment.
Year Aggregate Government Grants. Labour employed (No. of man weeks.)† Estimated area of land Benefited.
£ Acres.
1921–2 … … … … 231,582 150,000 342,000
1922–3 … … … … 253,198 170,000 913,000
1923–4 … … … … 203,030 118,000 727,000
1924–5 … … … … 200,000✶ 106,000 ‡
Total … £ 887,810 544,000 —
✶ Approximate estimate; accounts not yet complete.
†The number of different men who have been employed for long or short periods on these schemes is not known.
‡Estimate for 1924–25 not yet available.