§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what protection will be available under the new rule stipulating that unemployment benefit will not be paid until after the 26th week of unemployment if a job is left voluntarily by an employee, to those particularly women who leave their work on the grounds of sexual or other harassment, racial abuse, illness, particularly mental illness, dangerous working practices, or on the grounds of drunkenness or abusive employers.
§ Mr. ScottSection 20(1) of the Social Security Act 1975 disqualifies a person for receiving unemployment benefit if he or she has lost employment on account of leaving voluntarily without "just cause". The question of what constitutes "just cause" is a matter for the independent adjudication authorities to decide based on the individual circumstances of the case and on the considerable volume of case law that exists.
The Government's proposal is that the period of disqualification shall be expressed as "not exceeding" 26 weeks and this formulation will enable the adjudicating authorities to disqualify for a shorter period if there are mitigating factors though not sufficient to constitute "just cause". If a person is dissatisfied with the decision of the local adjudication officer he or she has the right of appeal to an independent appeal tribunal and from there on a point of law to a Social Security Commissioner.