§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will amend the Social Security Acts to enable local social security officers to 55W have power to refuse unemployment payments and supplementary payments to claimants where they consider such persons are not able, available and willing to work at a reasonable and recognised trades union rate of pay, subject to the claimant having right of appeal to a tribunal.
§ Mr. OrmeNo. The conditions for entitlement to unemployed benefit already require a claimant to show that he is capable of and available for work and not imposing unreasonable restrictions on the type or conditions of work he will accept, and a right of appeal exists where the independent adjudicating authorities consider that a claimant does not satisfy those conditions and disallows benefit.
Under the terms of the Supplementary Benefit Act, the Supplementary Benefits Commission may reduce or withhold a supplementary allowance where circumstances justify this subject to the claimant's statutory right of appeal to an independent tribunal. Persons who are required to register for employment as a condition for receiving supplementary benefit sign a declaration at the unemployment benefit office each week that they are able and willing to take any suitable job.