§ 60. Mr. Spriggsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the practice of his Department with regard to the classification of those engaged in voluntary work as being considered to be available for full-time employment.
§ Mrs. ChalkerA person claiming unemployment benefit who does voluntary work may receive benefit provided he remains available for employment and certain 103W other conditions are met. If he is paid for the work he does he may nevertheless receive benefit if his earnings for the day do not exceed the prescribed limit—currently 75p and going up to £2. A decision about availability in individual cases is one for the independent adjudicating authorities—the insurance officer in the first instance. An unemployed person doing voluntary work is not excluded from supplementary benefit provided he remains registered and available for employment and the work he does does not amount to "remunerative full time work".