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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 8 Jul 1924

Vol. 8 No. 7

CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - UNEMPLOYED RAILWAYMEN'S BENEFITS.

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if it is a fact that the unemployment insurance cards of the railwaymen, who joined the Railway Protection Corps of the National Army, were not stamped, though the employers and employees shares of the contributions were deducted from their pay, and as a consequence the men are now unable to obtain benefit under the Act; and if he will state how soon the men who are entitled to benefit may expect to be paid.

I understand that the unemployment books of the railwaymen who joined the Railway Protection and Maintenance Corps of the National Army were not stamped from week to week as the contributions became due. The non-payment of those contributions, however, would not necessarily of itself deprive the men of unemployment benefit, as such benefit would be payable in respect of contributions paid before enlistment, to which would be added the contributions paid by the Ministry of Defence, under Section 7 of the Act of 1923, and which in about 25 per cent. of the cases were at least as many as could have been paid for those men if their cards had been stamped for every week of their military service. Unemployment benefit could not have been allowed in any case in respect of contributions which had not been paid, but an arrangement was made last month between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Defence by which the accounts of the insured contributors in question were to be credited with a contribution for every week of military service in excess of the number of contributions already credited under Section 7 of the Act of 1923, and benefit in respect of the contributions credited under this arrangement has already been allowed on every claim now current so far as it has been practicable to identify the claims of the persons concerned. If the Deputy will let me have particulars of any cases in which it is alleged that those contributions have not been brought to credit, I will have immediate inquiries made. Benefit in respect of all these contributions will be available in the Third Benefit Year established by the Unemployment Insurance Bill, 1924, as soon as it becomes law.

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