asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware that great hardship is being caused to persons over 65 years of age who are in receipt of unemployment benefit as a result of the obligation imposed on them to sign daily in their local employment exchanges; and, if so, if he will take steps to have this hardship remedied.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Benefit: Signing by Recipients over 65.
Regulations of my Department place certain requirements on unemployed persons in the matter of attending at employment exchanges to sign the unemployed register. These requirements are:— Unemployed persons who reside within two miles of an exchange must attend there every day; unemployed persons residing between two and four miles must attend on three days a week; unemployed persons residing between four and six miles are required to attend once a week only and those over six miles from an exchange are not required to attend at all. Generally speaking, these requirements apply to all unemployed persons between the ages of 16 and 70. I am of opinion that they are not unreasonable requirements and, having regard to the fact that every unemployed person must be capable of work to be eligible for unemployment benefit, I do not think they can be said to cause hardship to unemployed persons.