asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to open an office of his Department in Clara, County Offaly, for those who are signing on and applying for benefits; if he is aware that duties of this kind should not be a matter for the Garda who are already overworked; and if he will deal with this problem as a matter of urgency.
Written Answers. - County Offaly Social Welfare Office.
85.
I consider that the opening of an office by my Department in Clara would not be justified in view of the small number of claimants for unemployment payments in that area. I do not accept that the certifying of declarations of unemployment by claimants is an inappropriate duty for the Garda who have been carrying out this duty in a most satisfactory way for many years.