asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state (1) the number of (a) fitters and (b) winchmen, resident in Dublin, who are now unemployed; (2) the number of fitters and winchmen respectively, citizens of Dublin, who have found employment on the erection of the oil refinery buildings at the North Wall, Dublin, and (3) the number of foreign fitters and winchmen respectively who are employed on this work.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Employment on Oil Refinery.
The number of fitters resident in the Dublin County Borough who were registered for employment at the Dublin Employment Exchange on the 29th May, 1937, was 426; these fitters belonged to 13 different classifications of that occupation. There were no men registered on that date specifically for employment as winchmen; it is possible that men with experience as winchmen were registered under a number of other classifications but to determine this would have involved the examination of a very large number of applicants.
In regard to the second part of the Deputy's question, I am informed that no national fitters and eight national winchmen were employed on the 29th May, 1937, on reclamation and dredging work being carried out by Messrs. Bos and Kalis, a Dutch firm of reclamation and dredging contractors under contract with the Dublin Port and Docks Board, which I assume to be the work that the Deputy has in mind; it was not possible to ascertain if the nationals employed as winchmen were all resident in the Dublin County Borough. In regard to the third part of the Deputy's question I am informed that on the same date no alien fitters and nine alien winchmen were employed on this work.
Can the Minister say if it is not possible to pick sufficient men from those who are unemployed who would be qualified to do the work that is being done by those persons who are brought into the country? I think the Minister must be aware that there are hundreds of men capable of doing this work that it is suggested these men have to be imported to do.
I have already informed the Deputy that, so far as I am aware, there is no man registered at the Dublin Employment Exchange specifically as a winchman.