asked the Minister for Social Welfare the local authorities who are obliged to provide the finance for the payment of unemployment assistance in their functional areas and if he will give details of payments involved in the year ended 31st March, 1970; and the local authorities who are not so obliged to provide such finance; and if he will give details of payments made from central funds in respect of unemployment assistance within the functional areas of each such authority in the year ended 31st March, 1970.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Assistance.
13.
The assumption underlying the Deputy's question is not correct. Expenditure on unemployment assistance is financed from the Exchequer. However, certain urban local authorities are required under section 26 of the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933 as amended, to make an annual contribution to the Exchequer towards the cost of unemployment assistance in their areas, in each of which the higher scale of unemployment assistance rates is applicable. These authorities, numbering sixteen in all, are the councils of the cities and of the larger towns with populations in excess of 7,000.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate with the Official Report a table showing the amount of the contribution payable for 1969-70 by each of the contributing local authorities and the annual level of unemployment assistance payments in their areas at current rates.
With regard to the last part of the question, concerning expenditure on unemployment assistance in the functional areas of the non-contributing local authorities, I regret that the information available in my Department does not enable me to supply the particulars requested by the Deputy.
Following is the table:
CONTRIBUTIONS payable by certain urban Local Authorities under Section 26 of the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933, as amended, for the year ended 31st March 1970, and estimated current annual expenditure on Unemployment Assistance in each of their areas.
|
Urban LocalAuthority |
Amount of Contribution |
Estimated Annual Expenditure on UA at current rates in each area* |
|
£ |
£ |
|
|
Cork |
42,885 |
118,976 |
|
Dublin |
281,570 |
991,484 |
|
Limerick |
16,133 |
140,036 |
|
Waterford |
8,616 |
42,120 |
|
Dún Laoghaire |
26,231 |
41,496 |
|
Athlone |
1,120 |
9,932 |
|
Bray |
2,329 |
9,672 |
|
Carlow |
789 |
8,684 |
|
Clonmel |
1,189 |
17,784 |
|
Drogheda |
1,999 |
31,928 |
|
Dundalk |
3,172 |
58,812 |
|
Galway |
4,608 |
29,380 |
|
Kilkenny |
1,135 |
18,408 |
|
Sligo |
1,664 |
21,840 |
|
Tralee |
1,321 |
29,692 |
|
Wexford |
1,099 |
17,316 |
|
Total |
395,860 |
1,588,560 |
*These figures are based on the actual expenditure for week ended 26th March, 1970.