asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give details of the two reviews carried out at North Cumberland Street Employment Exchange, Dublin 1 between October, 1987 and May, 1988, in relation to claimants of unemployment assistance.
Ceisteanna—Question. Oral Answers. - Dublin Employment Exchange Review.
11.
In June 1987 all postal claims for the Dublin area were brought together in Cumberland Street Exchange. Many of these claims had not been reviewed for a long time.
Two special reviews of continuing entitlement to payment were carried out in Cumberland Street Exchange between October 1987 and May 1988. The cases reviewed involved persons who had been in receipt of unemployment assistance for some time and who appeared to have skills which could assist them in finding employment.
In the case of the first review, the position of 609 postal claimants was examined. Arising from this examination 132 claims were disallowed. The second review involved the investigation of the position of 134 claimants; 39 of these reviews resulted in disallowance.
Were the people selected at random or was there a reason for selecting the individuals involved, because the number disallowed, in the first review, is particularly high? What was the main reason for claims being disallowed? Were people working or was it in relation to disability benefit or whatever?
This review was for unemployment assistance claimants. They were all postal claimants and were brought together in Cumberland Street Exchange. Up to that time they had been scattered all over the place. For reasons of efficiency and delivery of service they were concentrated in the one place. Many of them had not been reviewed for a long time and that is the principal reason there were a relatively high number of disallowances. The selection was at random other than the fact that people in particular categories who seemed to have particular skills and had been claiming for a long time were picked out. As far as individuals are concerned it was at random but in terms of having what seemed like obvious skills which could assist them in obtaining a placement——
Were there some from the construction industry?
That would have been one of the categories. Skills of various kinds, whether skills in carpentry, engineering or other specific skills, are not actually listed here.