§ 97. Mr. Chapmanasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he is aware that, despite the recommendations of the National Insurance Advisory Committee in Command Paper No. 9609, Benefits for very short spells of unemployment or sickness, particularly in paragraphs 37 to 58, parts of the engineering industry, such as the motor industry in Birmingham, have found it impossible to adjust the wording of their guaranteed week agreement to enable employees to claim benefit during brief spells of short-time working; and whether he will now ask the Committee to reconsider the matter and to recommend what changes are needed in the law.
§ Mr. N. MacphersonNo. In the Report to which the hon. Member refers, the Committee concluded that despite the existence of anomalies the balance of advantage lay in leaving the present position as it is. I do not consider that I would be justified in inviting the Committee to reconsider its recommendation solely on account of one particular anomaly.