asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he will state if unemployed men seeking permits to enter Britain for the purpose of taking up employment are (a) subjected by his Department or by some authority acting in conjunction with his Department to a medical examination; (b) whether the medical examination includes a Wassermann blood test; (c) the purpose of this examination, and (d) who pays for it.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Medical Examination of Migrant Workers.
The answer to (a) of the Deputy's question is in the negative. As to the remainder of the question, I understand that in some cases of persons selected for employment in Great Britain the prospective employers before engaging the workers arrange to have them medically examined. I have no information as to the nature or purpose of the examination, nor do I know who pays the cost of it.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether any and, if so, how many doctors were appointed by his Department during the past six months for the purpose of medically examining unemployed persons registered at employment exchanges with a view to obtaining employment in Great Britain, the names, addresses, ages and qualifications of the doctors so appointed and the exchanges to which they have been attached; further, whether he will state the salary attaching to each such appointment, how the persons appointed were selected and the period for which they have been appointed.
No doctors have been appointed by my Department or any other Department of Government for the purpose of medically examining any persons desirous of going to work in Great Britain and no doctor is attached to any local or other office of my Department or of any other Department for the purpose. The other parts of the question do not, therefore, arise.