I move:—
Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £955,625 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1937, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí i dtaobh Arachais Díomhaointis agus Malartán Fostuíochta (maraon le síntiúisí do Chiste an Díomhaointis) agus i dtaobh Conganta Díomhaointis (9 Edw. 7, c. 7; 10 agus 11 Geo. 5, c. 30; 11 Geo. 5, c. 1; 11 agus 12 Geo. 5, c. 15; 12 Geo. 5, c. 7; Uimh. 17 de 1923; Uimh. 26 agus Uimh. 59 de 1924; Uimh. 21 de 1926; Uimh. 33 de 1930; Uimh. 44 agus Uimh. 46 de 1933; agus Uimh. 38 de 1935) agus i dtaobh seirbhísí áirithe fén Acht um Beithígh agus Caoire do Mharbhadh, 1934 (Uimh. 42 de 1934).
That a sum not exceeding £955,625 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1937, for the Salaries and Expenses in connection with Unemployment Insurance and Employment Exchanges (including contributions to the Unemployment Fund) and Unemployment Assistance (9 Edw. 7, c. 7; 10 and 11 Geo. 5, c. 30; 11 Geo. 5, c. 1; 11 and 12 Geo. 5, c. 15; 12 Geo. 5, c.7; No. 17 of 1923; Nos. 26 and 59 of 1924; No. 21 of 1926; No. 33 of 1930; Nos. 44 and 46 of 1933; and No. 38 of 1935) and certain services under the Slaughter of Cattle and Sheep Act, 1934 (No. 42 of 1934).
For an explanation of the various sub-heads I refer Deputies to the notes which are attached to the Estimate. Provision is made for an increase in staff which is found necessary in consequence of the extended operations of the Department. It is considered desirable that the facilities available in connection with the exchanges and branch employment offices should be extended as widely as possible and certain provision is being made to that end in the Estimate for this year. There are two sub-heads under which there are substantial changes. Subhead G, which provides for the State contribution to the Unemployment Fund, records an increase of £12,000. The contribution from the Exchequer to the Unemployment Fund is determined by statute. It is a sum which has a fixed relationship to the revenue of the fund from the sale of insurance stamps, and in anticipation of the increase in employment that occurred during the past few years being continued during the course of the present year, provision has to be made for an increase in Exchequer contribution. On the other hand, we have estimated that the amount required for unemployment assistance in the course of the current year will be £110,000 less than last year. The Appropriations-in-Aid show little change. They are explained in the notes attached to the Estimate. There is, consequently, a net decrease in the Estimate of £89,042. The services provided for out of this Vote are three in number. There is the service of the labour exchanges, the service of unemployment insurance, and the service of unemployment assistance. These three services have become fused in one another and are at present virtually administered as one service. The labour exchanges were originally established for the purpose of bringing into touch with one another persons seeking employment and employers who were in search of workpeople. That service has been always the main function of the local offices of the Department, but through the stress of other work, particularly during the past couple of years, it has tended to become overshadowed. It is the intention in the near future to revive this important function of the Department, and to require local officers to engage in a vigorous canvassing campaign for the purpose of ascertaining employers' local requirements, and inducing them to satisfy their requirements through the medium of the local offices.
In the course of the past year, from 2nd April, 1935, to 9th March, 1936, there were 64,897 vacancies notified to the Department, and of these 51,136 were filled through the Department. It is worthy of comment, I think, that the activities of the Department in the matter of filling vacancies has been considerably extended during the course of the past three or four years. The number of vacancies filled in the year ending April, 1930, was 16,020; in the year ending April, 1931, 22,931; in the year ending April, 1933, 96,069, and in the following year, 71,916. The number fell off in the year ending April, 1935, to 26,036. I mention that fact because reference has been made to it here, and apparently a misunderstanding exists as to the reason for the decline in the number of vacancies filled for that year. It was represented that that was due to a diminution in the volume of employment available. That is not correct. It was due entirely to the fact that the Unemployment Assistance Act was brought into operation during that year, and required all the attention of the officers of the Department situated in exchanges or branch employment offices, with the result that the function of the Department, in the matter of filling vacancies notified to it, could not be performed, and various administrative changes were made in order to relieve them of obligation in that respect during that period. The Department is now assuming its ordinary functions in that regard, and, for that reason, for the period of 12 months I mentioned, the number of vacancies filled rose again to 51,130. In connection with unemployment insurance there was no change during the course of the year, either legislatively or administratively. The number of persons insured under the Unemployment Insurance Act has, however, risen considerably, and is now the highest recorded. The total number of persons insured under the Unemployment Insurance Act during the period 1934-35 was 399,710, a figure which has to be compared with 314,368 for the financial year 1931-32, an increase of 86,000.