asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provisions exist for self-employed persons seeking work as employees to change their status on registering as unemployed on the termination of their self-employed business; and if he will make a statement.

A person who has previously been self-employed is in no way debarred from registering for work as an employed person. He will not be entitled to unemployment benefit, unless he has a recent record of work as an employed person before he became self-employed, but so long as he is unemployed, and capable of and available for work as an employed person, he will get class 1 contribution credits, which will count for long-term benefit and in certain circumstances for short-term benefit purposes.