§ Major GLYNasked the Minister of Labour how long a period of continued unemployment, in the opinion of the Ministry or in the ordinary practice of the trades unions concerned, disqualifies a skilled tradesman from describing himself as such on the live registers of Employment Exchanges?
§ Miss BONDFIELDThere is no disqualification of this kind at the Employment Exchanges. The practical question which arises is not whether a skilled tradesman may continue to describe himself as such, but whether and at what point he can be required to accept employment outside his trade or else be disqualified for unemployment benefit. The answer must necessarily be dependent on the circumstances of the individual case, but the general rule to be applied is that laid down in Section 5 (2) (ii) of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1927. I have no information regarding trade union practice on this point.