asked the Minister for Social Welfare if any assistance will be given by way of grants to the regional health boards to help them to meet additional expenditure on home assistance following the effect of the Unemployment Assistance (Employment Period) (No. 2) Order, 1971.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Assistance Order.
13.
As the Deputy will be aware, this order has been modified to exclude certain classes from its scope and extra money is being made available to provide additional employment. Measures of the kind referred to in the Deputy's question are not contemplated.
Would the Minister not agree that the extra money he referred to is being made available under the special employment schemes and that because these must be processed it will not be possible in many cases to start any of this work until very late in the season, if at all?
I do not think they will be out of money at the time they most need it.
Will the Minister say how they will earn money if the schemes cannot be started before the fall of the year at the very earliest? They need it now.
Has the Minister any indication from the health boards as to whether there has been any extra demand on them for home assistance.
No. The only precedent I have in that respect is that when these orders were made in the past 30 years there did not seem to be any extra drain on home assistance while the orders were in operation.
Is it a fair conclusion that if there is no extra demand on them by people who are now penniless those people must have left the country?
That does not necessarily follow.
When previous orders were made there was employment available during the period and now ther is none.
Nonsense.
It is not nonsense and the Minister's predecessor knew that when he cancelled the order in 1957.
I was Minister when the order was cancelled.
The Minister did not do it of his own volition.
I did it by Government decision.
We know that the Government decided to cancel the dole.
14.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in relation to the operation of the Unemployment Assistance (Employment Period) (No. 2) Order, 1971, he will state what area is covered by an urban area.
15.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will name the urban areas excluded from the operation of the Unemployment Assistance (Employment Period) (No. 2) Order, 1971.
16.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of persons affected by the Unemployment Assistance (Employment Period) (No. 2) Order, 1971 in (1) the East Limerick constituency and (2) the West Limerick constituency.
17.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of persons affected in the whole country by the Unemployment Assistance (Employment Period) (No. 2) Order, 1971 giving details in respect of each county.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 to 17 together.
The order referred to—which, as the House is aware, was amended last week to narrow the classes of persons affected by it—had the effect of excluding from unemployment assistance during the period from 14th April to 16th November, 1971 men who have no dependants and whose place of residence is not situate within any county or other borough, urban district or town. The order exempted from its application, however, any man who has no dependant and who resides in a house which is owned by the local authority of any such municipal area but is situated outside the relevant boundary.
With regard to the areas of application, the order applied to men without dependants who live, subject to the exception I have just mentioned, outside the functional areas of incorporated cities and towns, that is, it applied in the small towns which are not incorporated and in purely rural areas. I propose to circulate with the Official Report a list of the 88 incorporated urban areas, comprising four county boroughs, seven boroughs, 49 urban districts and 28 towns, which are excluded from the operation of the order.
Statistics of the numbers of persons affected by the order are not maintained on the basis of constituencies or of county of residence. The total number of applications for unemployment assistance which were disallowed under the order up to 23rd April, 1971 was 15,172. I propose to circulate with the Official Report a statement showing the breakdown of this figure by counties by reference to the numbers of persons concerned who were registered at the local offices of the Department of Labour in each county. It will be understood that because the functional areas of some local offices overlap county boundaries some of the disallowances recorded under a particular county relate to persons who are not resident in that county.
I wish to remind the House that the effect of the recent amending order— the Unemployment Assistance (Employment Period) (Amendment) Order, 1971—was to remove from the scope of the (No. 2) order men who have no dependants and who are resident on specified coastal islands and also men, without dependants, who are 50 or more years of age, with effect in both cases from 28th April, 1971.
Following are the list of excluded towns and the statement of numbers of applications disallowed under the (No. 2) order:
INCORPORATED urban areas excluded from the operation of the U.A. (Employment Period) (No. 2) Order, 1971.
|
COUNTY BOROUGHS |
|
|
Cork |
Limerick |
|
Dublin |
Waterford |
BOROUGHS
|
Clonmel |
Drogheda |
Sligo |
|
Dún Laoghaire |
Galway |
Wexford |
|
Kilkenny |
URBAN DISTRICTS
|
An Uaimh |
Cavan |
Macroom |
|
Arklow |
Ceanannus Mór |
Mallow |
|
Athlone |
Clonakilty |
Midleton |
|
Athy |
Clones |
Monaghan |
|
Ballina |
Cobh |
Naas |
|
Ballinasloe |
Dundalk |
Nenagh |
|
Birr |
Dungarvan |
New Ross |
|
Bray |
Ennis |
Skibbereen |
|
Buncrana |
Enniscorthy |
Templemore |
|
Bundoran |
Fermoy |
Thurles |
|
Carlow |
Killarney |
Tipperary |
|
Carrickmacross |
Kilrush |
Tralee |
|
Carrick-on-Suir |
Kinsale |
Trim |
|
Cashel |
Letterkenny |
Tullamore |
|
Castlebar |
Listowel |
Westport |
|
Castleblayney |
Longford |
Wicklow |
|
Youghal |
Towns (other than Urban Districts) in which the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act, 1854, is in operation.
|
Ardee |
Droichead Nua |
Muine Bheag |
|
Balbriggan |
Edenderry |
Mullingar |
|
Ballybay |
Fethard |
Newcastle West |
|
Ballyshannon |
Gorey |
Passage West |
|
Bandon |
Granard |
Port Laoise |
|
Bantry |
Kilkee |
Rathkeale |
|
Belturbet |
Lismore |
Roscommon |
|
Boyle |
Loughrea |
Tramore |
|
Callan |
Mountmellick |
Tuam |
|
Cootehill |
NUMBERS of applications for Unemployment Assistance disallowed at Local Offices of the Department of Labour up to 23 April, 1971, under the U.A. (Employment Period) (No. 2) Order, 1971.
|
Co. CARLOW: |
|
|
Carlow |
21 |
|
Muine Bheag |
2 |
|
Tullow |
38 |
|
Co. CAVAN: |
|
|
Bailieboro |
97 |
|
Belturbet |
101 |
|
Cavan |
105 |
|
Co. CLARE: |
|
|
Ennis |
97 |
|
Ennistymon |
233 |
|
Kilrush |
142 |
|
Tulla |
28 |
|
Co. CORK: |
|
|
Bandon |
13 |
|
Bantry |
55 |
|
Castletownbere |
71 |
|
Clonakilty |
17 |
|
Cobh |
1 |
|
Cork |
9 |
|
Dunmanway |
27 |
|
Fermoy |
19 |
|
Kinsale |
5 |
|
Macroom |
44 |
|
Mallow |
5 |
|
Midleton |
13 |
|
Newmarket |
200 |
|
Passage West |
2 |
|
An Sciobairín (Skibbereen) |
54 |
|
Youghal |
6 |
|
Co. DONEGAL: |
|
|
Bealach Féich (Ballybofey) |
249 |
|
Béal Átha Seanaidh (Ballyshannon) |
117 |
|
Bun Cranncha (Buncrana) |
538 |
|
Dún na nGall (Donegal) |
180 |
|
Dún Fionnachaidh (Dunfanaghy) |
607 |
|
An Clochán Liath (Dungloe) |
754 |
|
Na Cealla Beaga (Killybegs) |
390 |
|
Leitir Ceanainn (Letterkenny) |
518 |
|
Co. DUBLIN: |
|
|
Balbriggan |
2 |
|
Dún Laoghaire |
3 |
|
Gardiner St. |
6 |
|
Werburgh St. |
31 |
|
Co. GALWAY: |
|
|
Béal Átha na Sluaighe (Ballinasloe) |
95 |
|
An Clochán (Clifden) |
286 |
|
Gaillimh (Galway) |
1,002 |
|
An Gort (Gort) |
35 |
|
Baile Locha Riach (Loughrea) |
49 |
|
Uachtar Ard (Oughterard) |
122 |
|
Tuaim (Tuam) |
332 |
|
Co. KERRY: |
|
|
Cathair Saidhbhín (Cahirciveen) |
198 |
|
An Daingean (Dingle) |
242 |
|
Neidin (Kenmare) |
66 |
|
Cill Airne (Killarney) |
143 |
|
Cill Orglan (Killorglin) |
228 |
|
Lios Tuathail (Listowel) |
345 |
|
Tráigh Lí (Tralee) |
686 |
|
Co. KILDARE: |
|
|
Athy |
29 |
|
Droichead Nua |
5 |
|
Kildare |
34 |
|
Maynooth |
2 |
|
Co. KILKENNY: |
|
|
Callan |
20 |
|
Castlecomer |
54 |
|
Kilkenny |
14 |
|
Thomastown |
16 |
|
Co. LAOIS: |
|
|
Portarlington |
15 |
|
Portlaosie |
94 |
|
Rathdowney |
21 |
|
Co. LEITRIM: |
|
|
Carrick-on-Shannon |
357 |
|
Manorhamilton |
367 |
|
Co. LIMERICK: |
|
|
Kilmallock |
62 |
|
Limerick |
62 |
|
Newcastle West |
345 |
|
Co. LONGFORD: |
|
|
Castlepollard |
20 |
|
Granard |
125 |
|
Longford |
227 |
|
Co. LOUTH: |
|
|
Ardee |
8 |
|
Drogheda |
19 |
|
Dundalk |
33 |
|
Co. MAYO: |
|
|
Acaill (Achill) |
283 |
|
Baile an Róba (Ballinrobe) |
227 |
|
Béal an Átha (Ballina) |
712 |
|
Béal an Mhuirthead (Belmullet) |
642 |
|
Caisleán an Bharraigh (Castlebar) |
109 |
|
Clár Clainne Muiris (Claremorris) |
120 |
|
Béal Átha na Muice (Swinford) |
419 |
|
Cathair na Mart (Westport) |
324 |
|
Co. MEATH: |
|
|
An Uaimh |
9 |
|
Ceannanus Mór |
18 |
|
Trim |
5 |
|
Co. MONAGHAN: |
|
|
Carrickmacross |
16 |
|
Castleblayney |
17 |
|
Clones |
10 |
|
Monaghan |
30 |
|
Co. OFFALY: |
|
|
Birr |
60 |
|
Edenderry |
4 |
|
Tullamore |
1 |
|
Co. ROSCOMMON: |
|
|
Boyle |
109 |
|
Castlerea |
327 |
|
Roscommon |
20 |
|
Co. SLIGO: |
|
|
Sligo |
175 |
|
Tubbercurry |
193 |
|
Co. TIPPERARY: |
|
|
Cahir |
11 |
|
Carrick-on-Suir |
34 |
|
Cashel |
26 |
|
Clonmel |
30 |
|
Nenagh |
37 |
|
Roscrea |
28 |
|
Thurles |
40 |
|
Tipperary |
15 |
|
Co. WATERFORD: |
|
|
Dún Garbhán (Dungarvan) |
15 |
|
Lismore |
9 |
|
Waterford |
116 |
|
Co. WESTMEATH: |
|
|
Athlone |
128 |
|
Mullingar |
67 |
|
Co. WEXFORD: |
|
|
Enniscorthy |
56 |
|
Gorey |
15 |
|
New Ross |
12 |
|
Wexford |
55 |
|
Co. WICKLOW: |
|
|
Arklow |
21 |
|
Baltinglass |
40 |
|
Blessington |
1 |
|
Bray |
14 |
|
Wicklow |
14 |
Will the Minister consider further amending the order with a view to including people who have others depending on them even though they do not come within the meaning of the Act, being neither wives nor children?
That is a separate question.
It is not. If the Minister will be courteous enough to reply to it he should get an opportunity to do so.
While we are examining the situation to find out who is affected one way or another in the various categories we do not contemplate amending the order.
Is the Minister not aware that this category includes people who have invalid brothers and sisters depending on them, who are ruled out under the present order?
I do. These people are not actually available for employment, but they are in a different category.
Will the Minister do something about them quickly or will he have to ask the Minister for Finance?