asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if his attention has been drawn to statements made at the annual delegate meeting of the Association of Officers of the Employment Branch (Department of Industry and Commerce), and reported in the Press, to the effect that the Dublin Employment Exchange is incommodious and insalutary; and, if so, whether he will consider the advisability of establishing regional employment exchanges in the Dublin County Borough area for the dual purpose of easing congestion at the Gardiner Street premises and the facilitation of applicants who have to walk long distances, particularly in inclement weather.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Employment Exchange.
The question of accommodation at the Employment Exchange, Dublin, has been under consideration in my Department and the possibility of obtaining suitable additional accommodation is being examined. Meanwhile, congestion is avoided by relaxations of the regulations governing the attendance at the employment exchange of applicants for unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance and by systematic arrangement of times of attendance. Since applicants who reside over six miles from the employment exchange are not required to attend at all and are dealt with by post, and those who reside at lesser distances are required to attend once a week or on alternate days or daily according to distance, the establishment of employment exchanges at different centres in the County Borough of Dublin would not facilitate applicants to an extent that would justify the increased cost involved?