asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that at the end of May a considerable number of unemployed men in Cork have been denied the benefit of the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933, although having obtained qualification certificates; and if he is further aware that the Superintendent Assistance Officer reporting on the situation with regard to the able-bodied unemployed not in receipt of relief under the new Act has stated that payment of only half assistance in these cases was not sufficient to meet their needs, and if he will state what steps he proposes to take to secure to these unemployed men the benefits of the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cork Unemployment Assistance Claimants.
No unemployed man in Cork or elsewhere who is the holder of a qualification certificate has been denied the benefit of the Unemployment Assistance Act if he was able to satisfy the statutory conditions for the receipt of unemployment assistance, and was free from the statutory disqualifications. These statutory conditions and disqualifications are laid down in Sections 15 and 16 of the Act. Any person whose claim to assistance is disallowed has the right to appeal to the Court of Referees and ultimately to the Umpire to review his case.
With regard to the second part of the question, I have received no report from the Superintendent Assistance Officer. I presume that the Cork Board of Public Assistance is in possession of the requisite information and will, in discharge of its responsibility, take whatever action is considered necessary in the matter.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that a number of able-bodied unemployed men in Cork City who applied for certificates under the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933, as early as last March had not up to the 22nd May received certificates entitling them to assistance under the Act, whilst numbers of applications received a month later have been dealt with and certificates issued; and if he will take steps to ensure that all future applications for certificates will be dealt with in rotation, and if he will state when it is expected that the arrears in connection with applications for qualification certificates will be cleared up.
The determination of the question whether or not applicants for qualification certificates fulfil the statutory conditions for the receipt of such certificates involves full examination of all the relevant circumstances of the applicants. In the case of applicants who possess means within the meaning of Section 13 of the Act the investigation and calculation of the yearly value of such means necessarily take considerable time, but there has been no avoidable delay. Statutory requirements must, however, be complied with in every case. Where applicants have no means, the delay necessarily incidental to investigation does not occur and hence it may happen, as the Deputy suggests, that qualification certificates may not be issued in the order of the date of the receipt of the applications, but subject to this circumstance applications are and will continue to be finally dealt with in the order of their date. The work of dealing with the large number of such applications received is proceeding as rapidly as possible.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he has received any communication from the Secretary of the South Cork Board of Assistance complaining of the delay in deciding the claims of applicants for benefit under the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933, and if such communication has been acknowledged by his Department.
The answers to both parts of the question are in the affirmative.