asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that large numbers of Lanarkshire girls are losing their unemployment benefit by refusing to leave home and go to England to work; and what steps he proposes to take to put a stop to this practice.

Employment is shortly becoming available to women as key workers in a factory in Lanarkshire to be opened there as part of the scheme for providing employment in that development area. In order to give this employment to local unemployed women, a number of them were asked to go to Yorkshire, for a limited period, to train as weavers. Twenty of them refused to accept this offer, and unemployment benefit was dis- allowed. Decisions on claims for benefit are given by the independent statutory authorities appointed under the Unemployment Insurance Acts, and neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Minister of National Insurance is able to interfere in any way with their decisions.

Does the Minister consider that £2 15s. a week, which has been offered to these girls to live in Leeds and to pay for their board and their hostel accommodation, is an adequate amount for any girl to maintain herself on a decent standard; and is he further aware that there is a strong feeling in Lanarkshire that these girls are subject to direction, which does not apply in other parts of the country?

It is not for me, on this question, to express an opinion on the rate of wages. All I can say is that 60 of the women who were offered employment accepted it. We shall not get the factories in this development area staffed with local unemployed unless they are prepared to take a little trouble to train themselves for the job.

Would the Minister say what possible justification there can be for refusing unemployment benefit to girls because they will not leave their own country and cross the Border into England?

. I never knew that it was a hardship for Scottish nationals to come to England.

Does the right hon. Gentleman's answer mean that men or women might be compelled to go from Devon to Northumberland to work, and would lose their unemployment benefit if they refused to do so?

No, Sir, this is a question of training people for work in their local area. If they refuse to take the work available to them, it is my duty to report them to the statutory authorities. There My responsibility as to benefit rests.

In view of the very unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I propose to raise the matter on the Adjournment