asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he is aware that nine men viz., John McNally, Patrick McKenna, John McCabe, James McCabe, James MulCronin, Patrick McCabe, James Mulvey, senior, Thomas White, and Thomas Mulvey, all of the Aghanacliffe and Rathmore districts, County Longford, were discharged from employment by the Longford County Council some four weeks ago; that those men, having travelled ten miles to the County Council Offices in Longford, were there informed that their unemployment cards were not ready, and that the cards have not since been given to those men; further, that those men were informed at the Exchange Office, Longford, that claims for benefit would have to be made through the Athlone Branch, forty miles distant; whether he will state if such claims have to be made through Athlone, and if he will see that the cards in question are furnished without delay and claims dealt with in Longford, and that those men are compensated for any loss of benefit and out-of-pocket expenses they have sustained through the failure of the Council to deliver the cards.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - LONGFORD UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CLAIMS.
It is a condition precedent to the receipt of Unemployment Insurance Benefit that, normally, claimants should attend personally and lodge formal claims at a local office of the Department. In certain cases, where there are special difficulties which render personal attendance particularly difficult or inadvisable, personal attendance may be excused and formal claims accepted through the post.
In this case, the local office at which the men would attend or otherwise make their claims is situated at Longford. They have not attended at nor otherwise communicated with that Office and I cannot find that they have been informed by any officer of my Department that their claims would have to be made through the Athlone Exchange, as alleged in the question.
If they are still unemployed and desire to claim benefit, they should communicate at once with the local Office of the Department in Longford, if it is not practicable for them to attend personally for that purpose.
A communication has been addressed to the Longford County Council drawing attention to the Unemployment Insurance Regulations bearing on the stamping of Unemployment Insurance Books, and their delivery to discharged workers on the termination of their employment. Under the provisions of Section 24 of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1920, insured contributors who have lost benefit as the result of an employer's failure to comply with these regulations, may recover as a civil debt from the employer concerned an amount equal to the benefit which they have so lost.