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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 May 1943

Vol. 90 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Travel Permits.

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he will permit Mr. Michael Clarke, of Drumboat, Inniskeen, Dundalk, to proceed to England to resume his work as a dock labourer inasmuch as he has no experience of agricultural work.

In order that a sufficient supply of labour may be available for agricultural and turf work in this country, men residing in certain areas, who have a minimum experience of agriculture or of turf cutting operations, are not granted travel permits for the purpose of taking up employment abroad. My information is that Michael Clarke, of Drumboat, Inniskeen, Dundalk, is a farmer with considerable agricultural experience, who lives on and works his own holding. He may not, therefore, be facilitated to emigrate as he resides in one of the areas from which the emigration of men with agricultural experience is prohibited.

If it emerges from further and better inquiries that Michael Clarke is, in fact, a man who has spent his whole life as a dock labourer in Liverpool and who is now home on his brother's holding—who has been home on his brother's holding for a couple of months—and that the only agricultural work he has done is in the nature of driving in cattle and jobs of that sort, will his application be reconsidered?

My information is that this man is the principal man who looks after the home holding. However, in view of the Deputy's suggestion, I will have that aspect of the question inquired into.

I am much obliged.

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that a number of young persons both boys and girls under 20 years of age, from Tourmakeady district of County Mayo are anxious to go to Scotland for employment, but cannot get permits from his Department to do so, and if he will take steps to permit them to go.

I am not aware that a number of boys and girls under 20 years from the Tourmakeady district are anxious to go to Scotland but cannot get permits from my Department to do so.

Persons under 22 years are not facilitated to go to employment outside the country save in exceptional circumstances. This restriction does not apply to young migratory workers desiring to go to Great Britain for seasonal agricultural work who have habitually gone there for such work, or who, for the first time, are going to such work in the company of a parent or an elder brother or sister who is a migratory worker.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that a number of young people from that area have been offered employment at very good wages—£2 10s. 0d. a week for girls digging potatoes in Ayrshire —and that they have not been able to get permits?

I have already intimated that I am not so aware.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary make further inquiries?

I will have the matter inquired into.

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether men from the congested districts not on the turf register can go to Great Britain to obtain employment; and, if not, will he take steps to enable them to do so.

As the Deputy was informed on the 5th instant, in reply to a somewhat similar question, any person who, of his own initiative, notifies a local office of my Department of his desire to go to employment outside this country is, if he is not affected by the restrictions on emigration, granted the necessary facilities to enable him to apply for such work and, if successful in obtaining the work, to apply for a travel permit. If the Deputy is aware of any person entitled to facilities to emigrate having been refused facilities, and will let me have full particulars, I will have the matter investigated. As the Deputy is no doubt aware, statements in regard to the restrictions imposed on the emigration of persons to take up employment outside this country were widely published in the Press and announced by radio when the restrictions were imposed.

I asked in my question what was the position of men not on the turf register. The Parliamentary Secretary has not answered that at all. What is the position with regard to the migration of persons who are not on the turf register?

The ordinary labourers who are resident in the scheduled areas are entitled to make their applications, and such applications will be considered. The persons who are on the agricultural and turf registers have been in receipt of special moneys for the purpose of retaining their services in this country, and, therefore, are not eligible to get permits.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that there are a number of people who cannot get employment at home in what he calls the scheduled areas, that there is a surplus of labour there, and that people there who could earn good wages in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland are doing nothing? Is that quite fair? There is no shortage of labour.

The only classes of people who are restricted in this matter are those who have the necessary experience of agricultural work or turf work.

But why should a person who has experience of agricultural work or turf work be kept in this country when there is not full-time agricultural work or fulltime turf work for him?

The circumstances of every case are investigated when an application is made. In the opinion of the Department, it would be unwise to facilitate too many people and perhaps leave our farmers short of the necessary labour at the harvest time.

There are no farmers short of labour in the County Mayo.

I hope so.

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