asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state what arrangements, if any, are being made to provide extra accommodation at the Dublin Employment Exchange; if he is aware of the congestion there and the inadequacy of the existing accommodation; if, also, he will take steps to secure a suitable building in the south side of the city for the convenience of the south city unemployed who at present walk five to six miles to register for employment and to draw their benefits.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Employment Exchange.
Mr. Byrne
The question of accommodation at the Employment Exchange, Dublin, has been under consideration in my Department for some time and as a result provision has been made in the 1941/42 Estimates for the necessary money for the erection of new premises for the use of persons resident in the south side of the city. In the meantime, the possibility of obtaining suitable additional accommodation is being explored. Congestion is avoided to a considerable extent, at present, by the relaxation of the regulations governing the attendance at the employment exchange of applicants for unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance and by systematic arrangement of times of attendance. Normally applicants who reside over six miles from the nearest employment exchange are dealt with by post and are not required to attend at all; those who reside between four and six miles distant are required to attend only once a week; and those residing between two and four miles need attend only on alternate days.