asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he is aware that John O'Connell, Castletownshend, Skibbereen, County Cork, applied for an unemployment qualification certificate on the 16th November, 1939; if he will state the date on which the qualification certificate was issued to Mr. O'Connell, and the reason for the prolonged delay in dealing with the case.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Qualification Certificate.
John O'Connell, Castletownshend, Skibbereen, County Cork, completed an application for a qualification certificate on 16th November, 1939. When the inquiries regarding his means, which must be made in such cases, were completed a qualification certificate was issued on the 13th February, 1940, and sent to the local office of the Department for delivery to him in accordance with the prescribed procedure. As he was not attending at the local office, a communication was addressed to him at the address he had given asking him to call for his certificate. It appears that he had then left the district and his present address is not known. The certificate is still at the local office, Skibbereen, for delivery to him and may be obtained by him at any time on his request. The delay in delivering the certificate to him is due to his failure to communicate with the local office.
That is not the delay into which I was anxious to inquire. I was anxious to inquire into the delay of three months in providing this man with a qualification certificate although he was in acute and dire poverty. He has got employment since, so that the question does not arise now.
In all these cases of applications for qualification certificates, inquiries have to be made and difficulties and delays occur.
Does not the Parliamentary Secretary think that three months is an extraordinarily long time to take to inquire into the circumstances of a man who has no means in the world?
It depends on the circumstances.