I want to put a question to the Minister regarding the working of the Poor Law Relief Act. The point I desire to have elucidated is with regard to the activities of the Department in respect of the provision of relief in the case of persons receiving National Health Insurance benefit. It is the law that Guardians shall not take into account any moneys received by the applicant under the heading of National Health Insurance benefit, provided such benefit does not exceed 7s. 6d. per week. I am informed that it is becoming the practice—if it has not been established as the practice— in Dublin for the guardians to take no notice of that provision of the National Health Insurance Act, and, in fact, to take into account the amount of benefit being received under that Act by sick persons. I think the position of the Minister, and our position in regard to this Bill, preclude me from going into the details of local administration. But it is opportune and right that I should try to find out from the Minister whether his Department has indicated to the Guardians and Boards of Assistance throughout the country, by any regulation or order, that this provision of the National Health Insurance Act should not operate, and, if not, will he state here, for the benefit of those concerned, that this is the law and must be obeyed by the people con cerned in the administration of poor law relief? The provision I refer to is in the Schedule to the National Health Insurance Act, 1920, and it is as follows:—
In the granting of outdoor relief to a person in receipt of, or entitled to receive, any benefit from this Act, the Board of Guardians shall not take into consideration any such benefits except in so far as such benefits exceed 7/6 per week.
If I am rightly informed, the Guardians in Dublin, and perhaps boards elsewhere, are taking this National Health Insurance benefit into account and thus clearly disobeying the law. It is obviously the right of the applicant to require that such law is obeyed. I am sure the Minister will inform the House and, through the House, the Guardians and the public whether or not there has been anything done by his Department to indicate to the Guardians that this law is inoperative or that it should in any way be suspended. That is the sole purpose of my intervention.
