§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will revise regulations in the relevant industries to facilitate easier short-time working and introduce legislation to enable employers to supplement unemployment insurance benefit on days of unemployment.
§ Mr. Albert BoothApart from special categories of workers, hours of work are not governed by regulations but are a contractural matter to be negotiated between the employer and the employee or his trade union representative.
Any payment by an employer by way of a supplement to unemployment benefit during the currency of the employee's contract of employment would have the effect of disqualifying the employee from receiving benefit for the day in question. Entitlement to unemployment benefit is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services, but I understand that she has no proposals for altering the present legislative arrangements.