asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in view of the fact that unemployment benefit or insurance is payable only provided that the recipient signs each day, he will take steps to ensure that payments will be continued during a period when the recipient cannot sign owing to a temporary illness.
Written Answer. - Payment of Unemployment or Insurance Benefits.
The information required by the Deputy will be found in the accompanying statement.
Only persons who reside within two miles of a local office are required to attend daily for the purpose of furnishing evidence of unemployment. Persons living two to four miles from an office attend on alternate days, four to six miles attend once weekly and those over six miles from a local office are not required to attend. They get their forms by post and get paid by post. It is a condition for the receipt of unemployment assistance or unemployment benefit in respect of any particular day that the applicant must be capable of work. A person unable to attend a local office owing to illness would not, irrespective of the rules governing signature of the unemployed register, be eligible for unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance.