asked the Minister for Labour if he can state the number and percentage of people on the unemployment register who for health or other reasons may be regarded as unemployable; if he will indicate the number of persons who have been continuously unemployed, or nearly so, for the past two years; and whether he has given special consideration to the position of such persons.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployable Persons.
39.
Every person claiming unemployment benefit or assistance must sign a declaration that he or she is capable of work and available for employment. There is at present no way of determining the percentage of people who, notwithstanding such declarations, may not in fact be available for and capable of work. I am hopeful that, in time, the expansion of the placement and guidance functions of the Employment Service, which I recently announced, will enable such a determination to be made.
On 29th November, 1968, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 11,200 persons out of a total live register of 57,000 or 19.4 per cent who had been continuously unemployed for one year. There are no statistics available in respect of continuous unemployment for two years.
Will the Minister not consider discussing with the Minister for Social Welfare the desirability of introducing a disability assistance scheme whereby these people could be certified as unfit for work and be enabled to draw disability assistance in the same way as unemployment assistance can be drawn, thereby saving them the trouble of standing around labour exchanges while they are not employed?
If we could determine the people who could come under that classification——
Doctors are well able to do it.