asked the Minister for Labour why there are 5,700 more people unemployed on 10th May, 1968 than there were on 12th May, 1967.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Increase.
16.
I would refer the Deputy to my statement in the Dáil yesterday when moving the Estimate for my Department.
I have carefully perused that statement but can the Minister tell us why there are nearly 6,000 more people unemployed than there were this time 12 months ago and that after having struck off a large number of rural unemployed who used to be included in the statistics?
There are a very big number of factors. That is why I referred the Deputy to my statement. It is not easy to deal with this question in the time available at Question Time. Different factors affect the live register from time to time and it is not easy to pinpoint the major influences. Factors which do influence the position are, first of all, the improvements provided in the 1967 Budget for social insurance and assistance claims both by way of extended entitlements to benefit and increased rates and these are felt to have attracted more people to sign on. It is also true that the number of new jobs being created is not able to absorb the number of people leaving the land and there are very wide implications in this for everybody. There is a probable fall in the number of people emigrating because of conditions in Britain. There are a big number of factors which could influence the situation. I just mentioned those three.
There is no employment period order made now.
The fact that there was not an employment period order was one of the extended entitlements to which I referred which meant that certain numbers were not off the register during the period when they would not be entitled to benefit in other years.
It seems to me that there are more people getting unemployment benefit to whom the order does not apply. What puzzles me is how are they out of work and getting benefit.
There were people who were on the register for only portion of the year and are now on the whole year.
I am talking about people getting benefit, not assistance.