Oral Answers to Questions — Industrial Disputes. – in the House of Commons am ar 28 Gorffennaf 1924.
Lieut-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury
, Wolverhampton Bilston
asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the trade dispute in Messrs. Alfred Hickman's iron and steel works at Bilston, by which nearly 3,000 men are thrown out of employment; that this was due to some 400 men of the Workers' Union coming out on strike and making it impossible for the works to continue; that the other 2,000 men, thrown out of employment through no fault of their own and belonging mostly to the Iron and Steel Trades' Confederation, are unable to obtain unemployment pay as the local Employment Exchange refuses to allow them to register; and whether he will take immediate steps to remedy this state of affairs?
Miss Margaret Bondfield
, Northampton
I am aware of this case. Payment of benefit has been disallowed by the Chief Insurance Officer under the provisions of the existing law relating to trade disputes and unemployment benefit, but it is open to the men or their association to appeal to the court of referees. The Unemployment Insurance Bill now before Parliament contains a Clause designed to deal with cases of this kind.
Lieut-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury
, Wolverhampton Bilston
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that some 2,500 men, belonging to a union in which there has been no strikes for a great many years, have been thrown out of employment owing to some men of another union going out on strike?
Miss Margaret Bondfield
, Northampton
That is one of the defects of the existing Act which the Bill is intended to remedy.
Mr William Thorne
, West Ham Plaistow
Is it not a fact that a few days ago, when Members on this side tried to rectify the Unemployment Insurance Bill for the purpose of assisting such men as these, hon. Members opposite objected to that course.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
