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Unemployment Benefit

Volume 891: debated on Friday 9 May 1975

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asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will cite the rule under which, and also explain how, two days' unemployment in six consecutive days, but not counting Sundays, can occur when persons normally working a five-day week are reduced to four-day working.

The rules which prevent unemployment benefit being paid for an isolated day of unemployment are now in Sections 14(1)(a) and 17(1)(d) of the Social Security Act 1975, which consolidates previous legislation, and provide that there must be two days of interruption of employment, whether consecutive or not, within a period of six consecutive days. These conditions could only be satisfied by a five-day week worker reduced to four-day working on occasions when his day of lay-off in one week was within six days, not counting Sundays, of his day of lay-off in the preceding week.