asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will introduce proposals for legislation to amend the Unemployment Assistance Acts and the regulations made thereunder to enable small farmers living on farms with a poor law valuation of £6 or under to receive unemployment assistance during the summer special employment period.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Assistance.
The effect of the Unemployment Assistance (Employment Period) Order, 1952, recently made under Section 4 (3) of the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933, is the same as in Orders made at the same time in recent years and designed to exclude from the receipt of unemployment assistance during the period from the 12th March, 1952, to the 21st October, 1952, persons resident in non-municipal towns and rural areas who are occupiers of land the rateable valuation of which exceeds £4. Occupiers of land the rateable valuation of which is £4 or less are not affected by the Order.
Before the Order was made, the position was carefully considered and it is not my present intention to vary the provisions of the Order.
Is the Minister aware that in County Donegal there is a number of small tenants who own hundreds of acres of useless land which has been declined by the Forestry Department; and on account of the poor law valuation they are deprived of unemployment assistance during certain periods of the year? Further, in view of the fact that his predecessor raised this ceiling from £2 to £4, perhaps he would consider raising it to £6.