asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the conditions under which the Dublin Corporation must expend any grants for the relief of unemployment made to them by the Government, and whether the corporation have power to give a full week's work instead of the four days a week now in operation; and, if not, if he will give them that power.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Unemployment Relief Grants.
The primary conditions are that labour shall be recruited through the employment exchange from the men in receipt of unemployment assistance; that the men should be selected for employment in the order of the combined value of unemployment assistance and food vouchers (if any) for which they are eligible when unemployed; and that they should be employed under a rotational system whereby the total number of days' employment allotted to each man is related to the combined value of his unemployment assistance scale and food vouchers.
Local authorities entrusted with the expenditure of special employment schemes grants are not empowered to vary these conditions. It is not proposed to make an exception in the case of the Dublin County Borough Council.
Mr. Byrne
Is the Parliamentary Secretary admitting then that the corporation is bound to give those unemployed men only four days a week, and that they cannot give them five, which would mean a few shillings a week more than their unemployment assistance and the value of the vouchers? Is that the position?
Local authorities entrusted with the expenditure of special employment schemes grants are not empowered to vary these conditions.
Mr. Byrne
In other words, four days a week——
Comment is not a supplementary question.
Mr. Byrne
I am asking the Parliamentary Secretary does that mean that the corporation is not allowed to give them more than four days a week?
There ought to be some limit to this.
Mr. Byrne
Silence gives consent.