(Clare) asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state (a) whether the men employed at quarry work by the Clare County Council at Sixmilebridge, County Clare, under the Road Grant were recruited through the employment exchange; (b) if he will state why of 12 men employed on the week ended Saturday, 16th September ten men were unmarried men; and on the week ended Saturday, 23rd September, six men were unmarried men out of the seven employed; (c) if he will state if this is according to the regulations; (d) if he will state whether any man was employed on this work whose name did not come through the employment exchange, and, if so, why such man was employed; (e) if he is prepared to send an inspector into the county to check the names of the men actually working with the lists supplied by the exchange; and, further, if he will cause periodic and unnotified examinations of registers in this area to see how the lists supplied for employment are prepared.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Recruitment of Men Employed Under Clare Road Grant.
In reply to (a) of the question, the position is that of the 25 men and one boy employed at quarry work by the Clare County Council at Sixmilebridge on the 29th September, 1933, all were submitted for employment by the employment exchange, Limerick, except one boy who is engaged as a water-boy. (b) During the weeks ended the 16th and 23rd September there were 17 single and 10 married men employed, of whom three were not submitted by my Department. On the 22nd September five married men were submitted for employment by my Department, four of whom were not engaged until 28th or 29th September, pending the establishment of the dates of previous spells of employment, and the fifth married man who was not employed until the 29th September. A number of single men had to be submitted because sufficient eligible married men were not registered at the employment exchange. (c) The men submitted by my Department for employment on the works in question were selected in accordance with the rules governing the selection of labour for employment on public works. (d) Local authorities are at liberty to engage without reference to my Department labour required for work financed by local rates, and in the case of work on the maintenance of main roads (the cost of which is provided partly by local rates and partly by main road upkeep grants) or on improvement works (which are financed by Road Fund Grants) the local authorities are free to employ their usual workers and are required to recruit only any additional workers necessary through my Department. The facts stated in (a), (b) and (c) of this reply have been revealed by local inspection. (e) The local offices of my Department are inspected periodically. They are responsible only for submitting men from amongst those registered for employment for such vacancies as are notified to them, and I am satisfied that this is done in accordance with the rules laid down by me. Wherever there is reason to think that in the selection of men for employment those rules are not observed there is and will be inspection and check such as the Deputy suggests.
Is the Minister aware that there were available for employment on the dates I have given, 14 married men with families?
I am not so aware. If there were 14 married men available they were not registered for employment at the labour exchange.
Mr. Hogan
I am informed that 14 married men were registered for employment at the local labour exchange on the dates I have mentioned and that some were unemployed for six weeks, some for three weeks, and others of them for two weeks. I am informed that all these men were available for employment and that single men were taken on.
That is not my information.
Mr. Hogan
That is my information anyway.
I have known of similar cases in my constituency.