asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of young people between the ages of 18 and 25 years who applied for and were refused unemployment assistance as to 30th April, 1976; and the number of such persons receiving unemployment assistance.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Assistance.
23.
As was indicated in reply to a somewhat similar question last November, the information requested is not available.
This is a rather usual reply—the information is not available. Why is the information not available? Is it because there is not statistical information coming to the Department? Surely we are entitled to know why such information is not available.
The statistics maintained in the Department do not enable a detailed breakdown into age groups of unemployment assistance recipients to be given. Similarly, there is no breakdown of the number of refusals of applications for unemployment assistance. The weekly press releases from the Central Statistics Office merely indicate the numbers over 65 and under 65.
So we have statistical information for people in receipt of unemployment assistance over 65.
Yes—for the numbers over 65 and under 65.
But we have no statistical information about the thousands of young people who made application for unemployment assistance and were refused. Surely there must be statistical information about those.
The Deputy is engaging in argument. If he has a relevant supplementary question to put, so be it, but he may not argue.
Applications for unemployment assistance by the young people I am talking about are made directly to the Department of Social Welfare and surely someone must know exactly the number of applications made and the number refused or is the Minister hiding this very important information?
That is an unworthy suggestion. The Minister is not hiding anything. It is his objective to give as much information as is available and, as was stated in an answer in this House in November last year, the statistics in the Department are not so organised—this often happens in various areas—as to enable a reply to be given to the Deputy. I shall certainly convey to the Minister the Deputy's dissatisfaction with that state of affairs and his desire to see statistics organised on a basis that would enable the information to be supplied. I should say that, as far as I am aware, we are not dealing here with any new situation. The statistics were never organised on the basis where such a reply could have been furnished.