A good many of the Deputies who spoke on the Industry and Commerce Vote devoted their criticism to the administration of unemployment assistance. Deputy T.J. Murphy referred to it as chaos, indescribable and deplorable. It would be quite easy to clear up that chaotic condition if one were to yield to every demand made on the Department irrespective of the merits of the demand. It would also be quite easy to tuck in all the loose ends if one were to decide on the face value of every application without a sympathetic examination of all the facts and in the belief that all the applicants were not able to make out a case properly or set out the facts of their case properly. The administration of unemployment assistance is not a simple matter. It is a question of dealing with public funds, and is governed by statute, and I contend that the administration of the Act by my Department is carried out with sympathy for the unemployed and with the desire to help and give all the benefit possible to people who are unfortunately out of work.
Deputy Pattison and Deputy Murphy complained that unemployment assistance payments were often suspended because of the receipt by the Department of anonymous letters. That is correct. It is unfortunately true, also, that the information received in these anonymous letters is in the majority of cases correct. Payment is not suspended in these cases until investigation is made, and if at any time the information that we receive in the Department is found to be incorrect, payment of accrued arrears is made as soon as possible to the man about whom the complaint was made. I do not like anonymous letters or anonymous letter-writers, but in administering the Department it is my duty to take cognisance of every piece of information bearing on the administration of the Department, no matter from where it emanates.
Again, Deputy Pattison and Deputy Murphy complained that they cannot intervene on behalf of applicants for unemployment assistance. That is not correct. They can intervene and, not only can they intervene, but they have intervened, and notice is taken and consideration given to the representations made by Deputies on behalf of these people. But we always feel that a man who has an application before the Department for unemployment assistance is in a better position to know the facts of his own case, and we always try to get the man's full story and to get his point of view. There is no objection to intervention by any Deputy interested in an unemployment assistance applicant.
Deputy Pattison also complained of delay in investigating the means of applicants for qualification certificates. That is not a matter for this Department at all, but for the investigation officers, who are controlled by the Revenue Commissioners. These officers are not only concerned with unemployment assistance applications, but also have to investigate means in relation to old age pensions and widows' and orphans' pensions. This is not a simple proposition. There is practically no similarity between any of the cases which have to be examined, and the work is very arduous and complicated, and these officers try to get through it as expeditiously as possible. Deputy Pattison also made reference to people who have suffered at the hands of the Department. I think the Deputy and his colleagues might very easily have paused and considered the very great number of people who have derived substantial benefits and help from the work and outlook of the Department.
Deputy Murphy spoke about the disallowance of claims for unemployment benefit by landholders. That is a very ancient question in the Dáil. There never has been a disallowance of a claim by a landholder as such, but a claim is disallowed when it is proved beyond yea or nay that the man was self-employed and could not be considered unemployed. This, too, is a complicated question, and we deal with sympathy with all these claims. I have a great deal of sympathy with the point of view of Deputy Brasier and I have gone very carefully into the matter that he raised, but I find that we cannot meet the case made by him without new legislation. The only thing therefore that I can do, having sympathy with the point of view that he has expressed is to have the matter carefully examined again with a view to meeting his point of view if possible.
Deputy Cogan suggested work and not maintenance as an ideal for this Department. I agree. In spite of all the hard cracks of politics that Deputy Belton referred to, we do not bow down our heads in defeat and regard unemployment as absolutely inevitable.
It is the policy of the Department to make every possible effort to provide employment. When we look around at the various countries of the world under varying types of Government, we see that not alone is the position in these countries under the various types of Government as bad as regards unemployment, but unfortunately worse, in most cases. We are doing our best. I believe one factor about the solution of the unemployment problem is the carrying out of the industrial policy of this Department. We all agree that a solution of unemployment is the ideal to be aimed at, but instead of the criticism that we sometimes have, it would be much better if we had thoughtful criticism. As the Minister stated, it is not a matter for one Party. Every Party should try to tackle it in the best possible spirit. I thought the attack made by Deputy Hughes on the policy of the Department to be a most dangerous one for the country. I have no doubt that the Deputy is an expert and a very well informed farmer. His attitude to the policy of the Department, if accepted, would, to my mind, intensify unemployment fourfold. There is an old Irish saying: "Is ar sgath a cheile maireann na daoine"; it is on the shadow of each other the people live.
