asked the Minister for External Affairs whether he is now in a position to state if Irish citizens of the prescribed age, including those engaged in agriculture, resident in Great Britain for two years, are liable to be conscripted under the British Military Training Bill; whether he is aware it has been decided that Irish citizens engaged in agriculture even though residents in Great Britain for two years are not domiciled in that country for the purpose of the unemployment insurance legislation as applied to agriculture and, therefore, not entitled to the benefits provided under the Unemployment Insurance Acts; and, whether, in view of the fact that domicile is denied when it is a question of providing benefit for Irishmen unemployed in Great Britain, he will take steps to ensure that it will not be pleaded as a pretext for drafting them into the British Army.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Irish Citizens in Great Britain.
As I have already made it clear in a public statement, I have been informed that every Irishman who is between the ages of 20 and 21, and who has been residing in Great Britain for two years and over, is liable to military service unless he can show that he is following a course of education or that he is in Great Britain for a temporary purpose only.
With regard to the particular case of agricultural workers, I am informed that there has been no decision of the kind suggested by the Deputy. The British Unemployment (Agriculture) Insurance Act of 1936 provides that persons employed in agriculture are entitled to benefit unless they are not domiciled in the United Kingdom and are ordinarily resident outside it. I understand that, while the decision as to whether a person can be regarded as ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom can necessarily only be reached on the merits of each case, two years' residence and, in certain cases, even less would normally be regarded as sufficient. I shall, however, be very glad to have particulars of any cases in which the British Military Training Act is enforced against Irish citizens who have been refused unemployment benefit on the grounds that they do not possess the necessary residence qualification.
In view of the statements which, I think, are shared generally by every citizen in the country that the British action in connection with the Military Training Act as applied in Great Britain is in contravention of international usage and in violation of the Hague Conventions, will the Taoiseach take steps, through the League of Nations or otherwise, to have that matter adjudicated upon so as to secure from some international tribunal an endorsement of the point of view of the Government of Eire?
That is a separate question.
I do not know if there is any such tribunal possible.
Would the Taoiseach endeavour through the machinery of the League of Nations to have a tribunal of that kind constituted so as to vindicate the point of view which has been consistently expressed by the Eire Government on the matter?
I would not like to make a promise to undertake anything which I do not see a chance of success in; but I know what the Deputy wants, and I will see if there is any line on which we could proceed.