HC Deb 13 October 1976 vol 917 cc144-51W
Mr. Michael Latham

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will set out in tabular form a list of all the cash benefits for which his Department is responsible, indicating also (a) whether the benefit is means-tested, (b) what are the necessary qualifications for obtaining benefit and (c) what is the current level, or range, of benefit in each individual case.

Mr. Golding

The information requested has been provided by the Manpower Services Commission and is given in the table below.

EMPLOYMENT SERVICE AGENCY
(A) (B) (C)
Title of Benefit/Scheme Benefit Whether means tested Qualifications for obtaining benefit Current level of benefit
(1) Employment Transfer Scheme (ETS) (1) Fare to take up employment. No means test for individual benefits. No entitlement where the future employment carries a salary of more than £4,400 a year (£84.29 a week). As regards the worker: (1) According to distance travelled.
The ETS is designed to provide financial assistance to unemployed workers and those under notice of redundancy who move to take up employment beyond daily travelling distance of their homes. (2) Settling-in-grant. (1) He must be unemployed or his employer must confirm that he, or others in his occupation, will be redundant within the next 6 months. (2) £15.
(3) Temporary separation allowance. (3) £15 per week for maximum of 2 years.
(4) Continuing liability allowance. (4) Up to £15 per week for maximum of 2 years.
(5) Disturbance allowance. *(2) He must have no early prospect of obtaining regular employment in his home area. (5) £6 per week (£12 per week for first three months) for maximum of 1 year.
(6) Assisted fares for home visits.
(7) Dependants' fares to new area. As regards the job: (6) Worker pays first £1.
(8) Household removal assistance. (1) It must be beyond daily travelling distance of the worker's home. (7) According to distance travelled.
(8) Lowest of three estimates.
(9) Rehousing grant. (2) It must offer full-time employment as an employee. (9) Move from a non-assisted area—£150. Move from an assisted area—£500. Ex TOPS trainee—£700. Move from an assisted area first time house purchaser with children of school age £1,000.
(10) Legal expenses grant towards house sale and/ or purchase. (3) The gross remuneration (excluding casual overtime) must not exceed £4,400 a year or £84–29 a week.
*(4) There must be no suitable local unemployed labour available to do the job.
Conditions marked * do not apply in the case of a worker whose home before transfer was in an assisted area. The receipt of a similar benefit from another source disqualifies. (10) Three-quarters of legal costs to maximum of £170 for purchase and £250 for sale.
There are also detailed conditions of eligibility for each of the benefits (1) to (10).

(A) (B) (C)
Title of Benefit/Scheme Benefit Whether means tested Qualifications for obtaining benefit Current level of benefit
(2) Job Search Scheme Return fares for interview. No means test for individual benefits. No entitlement to fare for interview or over-night subsistence where the prospective employment carries a salary of more than £4,400 a year (£84.29 a week). Must be unemployed and needs to leave his home area in order to find suitable employment. The Employment Service Agency must give prior approval which is based on known employment prospects in the area of search. According to distance travelled.
The Job Search Scheme is designed to help unemployed workers to look for work in other areas where employment prospects are better. Overnight subsistence. £9.25 per night.
Speculative temporary trans- £5 for first night £3.50 for subsequent nights payable for up to 4 weeks.
(i) Return fare.
(ii) Temporary transfer allow- According to distance travelled.
Fare to take up employment.
(3) Key Workers Scheme The benefits are as for the Employment Transfer Scheme. A temporary key worker is not entitled to household removal assistance, rehousing grant or legal expenses grant. No means test for individual benefitsand no salary limit. A key worker must be accepted as such by the Employment Service Agency. As for the Employment Transfer Scheme.
The Key Workers Scheme is intended to help men and women who are transferred beyond daily travelling distance of their homes to occupy key posts in establishments which their employers are setting up or extending in special development, or intermediate areas. The transfer may be either permanent or temporary. As regards the job:
Conditions (1), (2) and (4) as for the Employment Transfer Scheme except that condition (4) applies in all cases.
(4) Nucleus Labour Force Scheme The benefits are as for the Employment Transfer Scheme. There is no entitlement to household removal assistance rehousing grant or legal expenses grant. No means test for individual benefits. No entitlement where the future employment carries a salary of more than £4,400 a year (£84.29 a week). Must be unemployed and live within daily travelling distance of the proposed new or extended establishment. As for the Employment Transfer Scheme.
The Nucleus Labour Force Scheme is designed to help firms who propose to start up or extend their activities, in areas of high unemployment who recruit unemployed workers in those areas and transfer them to the parent factory for training.
(5) Fares to Work Scheme Financial assistance towards the cost of travel to work for severely disabled people in open employment. Scheme is means tested. Registration under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944. Unable to use or lack of public transport. Cost of travel excessive in relation to earnings (means test formula). Where grant is payable, not less than 50p a week or more than £30 a week (very exceptional).

(A) (B) (C)
Title of Benefit/Scheme Benefit Whether means tested Qualifications for obtaining benefit Current level of benefit
The Training Opportunities Scheme Offers free training with pay to men and women who want to develop their skills in order to improve their job prospects. While in training trainees normally receive a personal maintenance allowance, varied according to age, plus an additional allowance for dependants and a supplement, if they are eligible, related to previous earnings. Trainees also receive travelling expenses if the daily journey to the training establishment is over 2 miles, a free mid-day meal or an allowance in lieu, and credits, if appropriate, of national insurance contributions. The allowances are not means tested, except in the case of a few trainees taking a full course for professional qualifications under the Professional Training Scheme for disabled people whose allowances are calculated by analogy with awards given by Local Authorities to first degree students. Before being accepted for training potential trainees have to go before a selection panel and are sometimes required to take an examination to indicate their suitability for the type of training they wish to undergo. If successful allowances are then paid as indicated in the previous two columns. See Annex I attached.

ANNEX I
WEEKLY RATES OF TRAINING ALLOWANCES
Payable from the beginning of the first full pay week commencing on or after 20th November 1975 to people undergoing courses or vocational training
Age and domestic responsibilities Living at home (see note 2) Living away from home in accommodation arranged by or on behalf of TSA (see note 3)
1. Aged 20 and over without wife or dependants 19.40 16.90
2. Married trainee of any age and unmarried trainee aged 19 or over, with dependants:—
(1) Maintaining 1 dependent child under 19 22.90 21.90
(2) Maintaining 2 dependent children under 19 24.90 23.90
*(3) Maintaining 3 dependent children under 19 26.90 25.90
(4) With wife or maintaining adult dependant 26.30 25.30
(5) With wife (or maintaining adult dependant) and maintaining 1 dependent child under 19 29.80 28.80
(6) With wife (or maintaining adult dependant) and maintaining 2 dependent children under 19 31.80 30.80
*(7) With wife (or maintaining adult dependant) and maintaining 3 dependent children under 19 33.80 32.80
3. Under age 20 without wife or dependants:—
Aged 19 14.50 12.00
Aged 18 11.85 9.85
Aged 17 11.85 9.85
Aged 16 11.85 9.85
4. Unmarried trainee under 19 years of age with dependants:
The appropriate age rate as in 3 together with the appropriate additional allowance for dependants.

Notes:

1. *An extra £2.00 is payable for the fourth and each additional child.

2. At skillcentres and some other establishments, mid-day meals are provided free of charge, but where mid-day meals are not provided, an additional meals allowance of 40p a day will be paid for days of attendance at the training establishment from Monday to Friday.

3.—(1) At residential establishments, lodgings and full board is provided free of charge.

(2) People placed in accommodation arranged by or on behalf of the Agency receive an additional allowance to meet the cost of lodging and part board.