asked the Minister for Social Welfare (a) the total number of able-bodied unemployed males in receipt of full benefit in Dublin city at the moment; and (b) whether he is satisfied that all those in question are without work or genuinely unable to obtain work.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Unemployment Assistance.
67.
As regards the first part of the question, male recipients of unemployment benefit in Dublin city at present number approximately 5,750. As a condition for the receipt of unemployment benefit, each of them is required to be, and in fact declares himself to be, capable of the work for which he is registered at the employment exchange.
As regards the second part, persons claiming unemployment benefit are also required to be unemployed and available for work. Moreover, failure or neglect to avail of any reasonable opportunity of obtaining suitable employment is a statutory disqualification for the receipt of such benefit. Accordingly, all those in question are being paid benefit on the basis of declarations and other evidence that they fulfil these statutory requirements. Payment would be refused if evidence to the contrary were available to my Department in any particular case.
Measures to prevent and detect fraudulent claims to unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance are an important and continuing feature of the administration of these schemes and I would welcome the co-operation of employers, workers, public representatives and the public at large in the efforts of my Department to eliminate abuses.
In circumstances in which there are practically 6,000 people registered as unemployed and fit for employment in Dublin city, is the Minister aware that in recent months contractors have come to me indicating that they were unable to get workers to work on reconstruction work on roadways; that builders have come to me indicating they cannot get men prepared to work on building sites? Although the Minister referred to examinations being carried out, I wonder could he say what is the incidence of disqualification in such cases to date.
I cannot give a percentage. Most of them would arise as a result of employers going to an exchange, asking for persons suitable for the type of employment and when persons refuse and are reported we have the validity of their claim examined. Very often they refuse to submit further certificates.
Is the Minister aware that the implication in Deputy Tunney's supplementary is most regrettable? Is he aware that, by and large, there are only a very small number of fraudulent claims? The officers in local exchanges are more than aware of the means by which they can disqualify applicants or penalise them. Deputy Tunney should spend a couple of months on a building contractor's sheets as a clerical officer and he would not then make a global allegation of this kind.
Of course, building workers went to England during the cement strike and did not return.
Deputy Tunney is concerned with the 5,000 odd men registered as unemployed at a time when contractors cannot get workers.
Deputy Tunney's suggestion of a pogrom in the labour exchanges is most regrettable. We all know that everybody registered is not capable of heavy work on building sites and Deputy Tunney should know that.
I do not apologise to anybody. Work on the Navan Road has been going on for a few years and a contractor has told me that the inconvenience to users of that road arises from the fact that he cannot get men to work. I am concerned that simultaneously we have more than 5,000 people drawing money from the State and I want to have that corrected without any apology to Deputies Tully or Desmond.
May I ask the Minister whether a contractor in the Navan Road went to the nearest employment exchange, whether he gave a list of the various workers required to the officer there, whether various people were offered employment and whether a number of the persons who turned it down were subsequently disqualified? I suggest the Deputy has no such proof and that he is making unjust allegations against people.
There may not be a debate at this stage.
Is the Minister aware that he has possibly confused the issue by referring to the figure of over 5,000 able-bodied unemployed males, thereby indicating that they would be suitable for all types of work, while that is not the case?
There are a number of factors to be considered. The employment exchange officers in Dublin make a great effort to place people in employment and they are doing very well.