asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the number of persons whose applications for unemployment assistance have been refused during the last two years, and for the same period the number of cases in which the Court of Referees has recommended refusal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Assistance Applications.
Mr. Byrne
Figures showing the number of persons whose applications for unemployment assistance have been refused during the last two years have not been compiled. To obtain the information it would be necessary to have each application made during the period examined, and I do not propose to have the very large amount of work involved undertaken.
In the two years ended the 31st August, 1940, the Courts of Referees recommended that unemployment assistance be refused on 7,640 applications.
Mr. Byrne
Can the Parliamentary Secretary say whether there is any appeal for those who have been refused? Why should one body have the right to refuse assistance and also the right to refuse an appeal against that decision? There are many hard cases in the City of Dublin where people have been refused assistance and have been turned down on the ground that they were not genuinely seeking work, when I know that, in many cases, these people have worn the boots off their feet in the effort to find work.
They have a right of appeal if they are refused assistance, and they have a further right of appeal.
Mr. Byrne
I am afraid the Parliamentary Secretary has not read the form, from which it appears that the Minister who turns these people down has the right to make a recommendation refusing them the right of appeal, and that has been done.
Refusing them a further appeal.
Not very often.