asked the Minister for Local Government whether his attention has been called to the reports in the Press that there is an increase of £10,000 in the estimates for outdoor relief for the coming year in the Dublin Union; whether he is aware that the total amount spent in outdoor relief in Belfast does not exceed £10,000; whether the alarming amount spent in outdoor relief in the Dublin Union is due to irresponsible spending; and whether he proposes to do anything to check extravagance in the giving of relief?
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. [ ORAL ANSWERS. ] - OUTDOOR RELIEF ESTIMATES.
The Ministry have been informed of an increase of about £10,000 in the Estimate for Home Help of the Dublin Guardians. Authentic details as to recent expenditure in Belfast Union are not available at the moment, but there are grounds for believing that the total expenditure on Outdoor Relief, as suggested in the question, does not exceed £10,000. There is room for doubt as to the propriety of a great deal of the expenditure on Home Help in Dublin. Considerable economy could be effected by more active investigation of all the material facts concerning applicants and by frequent systematic revisions. The advocacy of cases by individual Guardians, often without having acquainted themselves fully of the true circumstances of the cases, leads to the inclusion of undeserving parties, embarrasses responsible officials, and weakens the whole system of administration. In conjunction with other necessary reforms in the Dublin Union the question of Home Help has recently been receiving special consideration by an official of the Ministry and a scheme is about to be formulated to secure well-regulated and economical administration.
Does the Minister understand that the Belfast Union has deliberately for many years continued a policy of driving people into the workhouse, and does he consider that that is more advantageous to the poor than giving them home help or outdoor relief?
I have not any detailed information about the Belfast Union.
Arising out of the Minister's answer, may I ask if he considers it fair to attempt to make a comparison between a modern industrial city, such as Belfast is, and a centuries-old capital such as Dublin, with its hundred and one problems to be faced that are not present in a modern city? And whether he thinks that all these relevant facts should not have been taken into account, in addition to the similarity in population, in answering such a question as was put to him?
I do not know whether that point arises out of the answer. I quite realise that there are other factors than the mere similarity in size and population, but then that does not do away with the fact that the Home Help administration in Dublin has been lax and inefficient.
I would be prepared to make a statement on this question——
The Deputy cannot make a statement at question time.
What I wanted to say was that the Chairman there is very efficient.