§ Lord Burtonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the DHSS refuse to assist an applicant wishing to take up a position in the Falkland Islands, while they are prepared to assist anyone to travel anywhere in the EEC, and equally they are prepared to continue to pay him £2,498 per year in unemployment benefits.
§ Baroness TrumpingtonPersons entitled to supplementary benefit may receive help with travelling expenses to enable them to take up a job but only in respect of travel within the United Kingdom. The supplementary benefit regulations do not allow help to be given for travelling expenses to those who are going abroad—including countries in the European Community—to take up employment except for fares to the port of embarkation or airport.
It is not necessarily the case that there would always be a saving to public funds if help were generally extended to meet the cost of travelling to other countries since the person might have been able to find work in this country. We also take the view that employers who wish to attract workers from overseas should be prepared to meet their necessary travelling expenses and many employers already do this as a matter of course.
TABLE
Teachers' salary rates at 1st April and 1st November 1985, and 1st April and 1st November 1986, on the basis of pay offers for 1985 made by the management panel of the Burnham Committee.
1376WA
Category (a) New Entrant Graduate £ (b) Top of Scale 1 £ (c) Mid-point Scale 2 £ (d) Bottom Scale 3 £ (e) Top of Scale 2 £ (f) Top of Scale 3 £ (g) Head Group 2 £ (h) Head Group 12 £ Current salary 6,252 8,556 8,004 7,734 9,597 11,031 11,073 20,706 With 4 per cent. offer added 1stApril 1985 6,502 8,898 8,324 8,043 9,981 11,472 11,516 21,534 1st November 1985 6,74 8,898 8,611 8,324 9,981 11,472 11,516 21,534 1st April 1986 6,749 8,898 8,611 8,324 9,981 11,472 11,516 21,534 1st November 1986 7,001 8,898 8,898 8,611 9,981 11,472 11,516 21,534