asked the Minister for Supplies if he is aware that all applications for ration coupons made by our migratory workers on their return from Great Britain are being refused on the grounds that applicants' stay in this country is temporary; and whether he will make provision for such workers to enable them to obtain their necessary supplies of clothing, footwear, tea, and other rationed commodities.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Migratory Workers' Coupons.
The normal rule is that persons arriving in this country must have been resident for four weeks before application from them for ration books will be entertained, and in no case will a ration book be issued unless a stay of at least 12 months is contemplated. I appreciate that this rule, if applied strictly to migratory labourers on return to their homes, must give rise to hardship, and in the case of any such labourer to whom a ration book has not already been issued, I am arranging that application for a book can be made immediately on return home at the local Gárda station. Applications in these cases will be dealt with as expeditiously as possible.