asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether he will state (i) the names and occupations of the persons who constituted the Board of Referees which sat at Drogheda on the 2nd May, 1949, to consider the applications of 23 men of the Ardee district for unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance; and (ii) the recommendations of the court on these applications and the grounds on which the recommendations were made.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Drogheda Board of Referees.
The Court of Referees held at Drogheda on the 2nd May, 1949, to consider the applications for unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance of 23 men from the Ardee district consisted of the chairman, a representative of the employers and a representative of the employees. These representatives were called in turn from a panel of persons chosen to represent employers and employees.
I consider undesirable the publicity involved in naming in reply to a question like this, the persons who on a particular occasion for which they were chosen on a rota system, were discharging what is an onerous and at times may be an unpleasant public service. I shall, however, supply the information to the Deputies privately if they so require.
The court recommended that the claims be disallowed holding that the men had refused employment suitable for them and that they did not satisfy the statutory condition requiring claimants to be unable to obtain suitable employment.