asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state (i) the number of persons in receipt of (a) unemployment benefit and (b) unemployment assistance; (ii) the number of persons in receipt of unemployment benefit who have dependants and the number of such dependants; (iii) the number of persons in receipt of unemployment assistance who have dependants and the number of such dependants; (iv) the number of dependants of persons in receipt of unemployment assistance in respect of whom a weekly allowance of five shillings is paid; and (v) the number of dependants in any categories in respect of whom weekly allowances of five shillings are paid and the titles of such categories.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Benefit and Assistance.
20.
The information requested in parts (i) to (iv) of the Question is as follows, in relation to the 8th January, 1965, for unemployment benefit and to the 29th January, 1965, for unemployment assistance, these being the latest dates for which the respective dependency figures are available:
(i) the number of persons in receipt (a) of unemployment benefit was 32,054 and (b) of unemployment assistance was 20,823;
(ii) of those recipients of unemployment benefit, the number who had dependants was 14,878 and the estimated number of such dependants was 49,829 (including 14,685 adult dependants);
(iii) of those recipients of unemployment assistance, the number who had dependants was 10,914 and the estimated number of such dependants was 37,427 (including 10,716 adult dependants);
(iv) of those 37,427 dependants of recipients of unemployment assistance, the estimated number for whom a weekly allowance of five shillings was payable was 12,800, this rate of allowance being appropriate to the third and each subsequent child of a family.
With regard to the last part of the Question, a weekly allowance of 5/- is also payable in respect of the third and any additional child-dependants of (a) non-contributory widow pensioners and (b) non-contributory old age pensioners. The present numbers of such child dependants are respectively (a) 2,294 and (b) 520.