I desire to ask the Minister for Industry and Commerce what steps, if any, have been taken during the past 12 months to endeavour to effect a reciprocity agreement between this country and the British Government and the Six County Government in respect of unemployment insurance benefit. The Minister has had an opportunity of looking into the position of Irish workmen who are employed in Great Britain and the Six Counties either as migratory labourers or as craftsmen in some capacity or another. He will have ascertained that an Irish workman may go to England and may affix unemployment insurance stamps to his unemployment insurance card during a period of one, two or five years, or he may go to Britain or the Six Counties and work for a substantial period in each year, but if he returns to his home he is deprived under this Administration of the unemployment insurance benefit to which he contributed while in employment in Britain or the Six Counties.
Manifestly that is a hardship and a very considerable hardship on the workers concerned who are not able to get employment here but find it necessary to go to Great Britain. There they are required under legislation to stamp unemployment insurance cards, and that process of stamping simply means a wage tax on the workers who are not able to get anything in the way of benefit on returning to this country. A strange anomaly exists in connection with the present situation. If a worker goes to Great Britain, takes his wife and family with him and loses his employment there he may get insurance in Great Britain and get an allowance for his wife and children even though they return to this country while he remains in Great Britain. But if he takes the step of coming back to this country he not only forfeits benefit for himself, but forfeits as well benefit for his wife and children. In view of the fact that the whole outflow of population is from this country to Great Britain, it is clear that the British Government is at present exacting a wage tax from workers from this country who go to Great Britain for substantially long periods. The Minister's predecessor intimated that the question of reciprocity between this Government and England is under consideration. I would like to know what progress has been made in dealing with the matter in the last 12 months? At international Labour conventions the British Government has a heavy responsibility thrown upon it to conclude reciprocity of agreements in cases like this. I would like to know if in the past year an effort has been made to reopen the matter with the British Government, and, if so, how the case now stands?
Mr. W.J. Broderick rose.