§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will review the regulations concerning the payment of unemployment benefits in the case of a person taking up employment which is paid in arrears, whereby such a person is denied unemployment pay during the period up to securing his first pay packet, and is again denied unemployment pay on leaving the job since he then has an equivalent number of weeks pay in hand.
§ Mr. OrmeUnemployment benefit is payable only for days on which a claimant is unemployed and available for work. It therefore ceases when the claimant starts work, and becomes payable again when he becomes unemployed. Supplementary benefit is paid to bring a person's resources up to the level at which his requirements are assessed. Payment of supplementary benefit may continue until the claimant receives his first wages, but benefit will not usually be payable for the period covered by the wages which 277W the claimant receives when his employment ceases. I have no plans at present to review the conditions under which these benefits are paid.
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if employment benefit offices are required not to pay unemployment benefit to a person who has lost his job for a number of days equivalent to any holiday pay to which the person was entitled on the termination of his employment; and, if so, whether they will pay unemployment benefit to the same person if he subsequently finds a job in which he is required to take a holiday but is not paid for such a period because he has not accrued adequate entitlements.
§ Mr. OrmeTerminal payments of holiday pay do not affect a person's title to unemployment benefit; but these payments may remove the need for supplementary benefit for the period they cover. Unemployment benefit is not usually payable for days recognised as customary holidays in the claimant's employment, whether he receives holiday pay or not; but supplementary benefit may be payable during a period of unpaid holiday if the person's resources are not sufficient for his requirements.