asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state the number of persons leaving Ireland, in each month subsequent to April, 1946, to take up employment in the mining industry in Great Britain.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Emigrants to Great Britain.
I am not in a position to furnish the figures required by the Deputy. The travel permit application forms, on the basis of which the available statistics are compiled, show the previous occupation of the applicant in this country, but not the precise nature of the employment in Great Britain to which he is proceeding.
Are no records kept of the type of vocation which the person proposes to follow? In other words, has the Department here not to be satisfied as to the character of the person's employment in Great Britain?
I do not think so. I am not aware that it has. It is a very elaborate form as it is and if we were to try to change it to include information of the type the Deputy wants it would make it still more elaborate. Then it would be no use because the person could change the week after.
Normally, before a person can get a permit to leave this country he has to have an approved offer of work from the British Ministry of Labour. That approved offer of work comes through the Department of Industry and Commerce here. Is any record kept of the character of the vocation which our people follow when they leave here?
I do not think that that is the position at present or for some time back.
Could the Minister say if only those who are classified as agricultural labourers here are allowed to go to mining work?
No. I do not think so. It must be obvious that we cannot control the person after he leaves this country. The moment they leave the country they are completely free to go to any work. We can ask, and we do ask, in some form like this, what their previous occupation here has been and in general terms the purpose of their journey abroad but they will only reply that it is to get work, or something like that. Any statistics that we could get would not be worth while.