Vol. 80 No. 13
I move:—
That it is expedient to authorise the payment out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas of such expenses and other sums as are required to give effect to any Act of the present Session to amend and extend the Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Acts, 1923 to 1940.
On this Bill I want to put this consideration to the Minister. It is proposed to make provision under it for the enrolment of persons in the regular Army and Volunteer reserve. I have already put privately to the Minister this consideration: that a large number of persons will, I hope, join both the regular Army and the Volunteer reserve forces because they are anxious to serve the nation in this hour of trial and difficulty. Many of them have an insurable position under the Unemployment Insurance Acts and, therefore, I would like the Minister to give to the House an assurance that their joining the Volunteer reserve, or the regular Army, will not in any way prejudice their position under the Unemployment Insurance Acts. In other words, that on the day they leave the Army, when the emergency has passed, they will be in the same position in respect to unemployment insurance as they were on the day before they joined the Army. I am sure that the Minister, with his outlook on this matter, will accept that viewpoint and, therefore, I do not propose to argue the details of the case. If the Minister would say that some provision will be made by an amendment of the relevant sections of the Unemployment Insurance Acts to cover cases of that kind, I will be quite satisfied that it will be done in due course.
The Deputy is, no doubt, aware that the matter he has raised is one which concerns the Department of Industry and Commerce. I have raised the matter with the Minister, and he has assured me that he will deal with it in a most sympathetic manner, provided that there are no statutory limitations. He has assured me that, if necessary, he will be prepared to consider an emergency order in respect to that position. I think the Deputy can rest assured that the matter will be satisfactorily dealt with.
I am satisfied with that assurance.
Would the Minister say how much money is involved in this?
At the moment I am not able to say.
