asked the Minister of Labour whether, under the new proposals of the Government, any of the unemployed persons claiming transitional benefit and referred to public assistance committees for the determination of their needs and rate of benefit, if any, payable, will have any right of appeal against the decisions of the public assistance committees?

It is contemplated that the assessment of the needs of individual cases will be made by the ordinary machinery of the public assistance authority and that there will be no appeal to any other authority.

Is the Minister aware that this takes away a very valuable right from the unemployed person; in fact, sets up a Poor Law dictatorship?

I do not accept the statement of the hon. Member as to a Poor Law dictatorship. What I have said is that the procedure of the public assistance committee in assessing need will be precisely what it is at present.

Is it not a fact that the unemployed person will have no right of appeal against the assessment of need?

That is precisely what I have said.

Is not this an alteration of conditions of the law which is not even contemplated in the Economy Bill?

I do not agree. It was agreed to by the last Government.

Lieut.-Colonel WATTS-MORGAN:

Is the Minister aware that in the County of Glamorgan there will be 10,000 cases which will come before the Public Assistance Committee?

I am not aware of the figures given by the hon. and gallant Member.

In the case of an ex-Service man falling within the transitional stage and in receipt of a disability pension, can the Minister say whether the pension will be taken into account in considering the question of unemployment benefit?

That is a totally different question; perhaps the hon. Member will put it down.

When the amount is fixed by the Public Assistance Committee will it be granted by way of loan as Poor Law relief which is now repayable?

No, Sir. What will happen is that the need will be assessed by the Public Assistance Committee, and it will be paid out of Exchequer funds, as it is to-day.

May I inquire—

We are getting a long way from the question on the Paper.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can give an estimate of the number of unemployed persons who will be placed in the transition category when the 26 weeks' rule begins to operate in the case of those then on standard benefit?

asked the Minister of Labour what is the éstimated number of unemployed workers which the new condition for obtaining standard benefit. will deprive of such benefit?

Figures giving the latest available information on the points raised in these questions are in course of preparation, and I will circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT in the course of a day or two.