asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of recipients of unemployment assistance benefit in the city and county of Waterford and the number who have had their allowances reduced or stopped in the past three years to the latest accounting date; and what was the number of persons signing at the local employment exchanges in the area who were not in receipt of any benefit in respect of these periods.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Waterford Recipients of Unemployment Assistance.
4.
Statistics of numbers of recipients of Unemployment Assistance are not kept on a county area basis, and the information sought by the Deputy in this regard in respect of the city and county of Waterford is accordingly not available.
As regards the second part of the question, the Deputy is no doubt aware that the means of holders of qualification certificates must be reviewed when any change occurs in the circumstances of a holder, that is, acquirement of property, marriage, change of address. The means of self-employed persons must also be reexamined periodically. Apart from the other reasons mentioned the means of the holder of a qualification certificate must also be reinvestigated if his circumstances have not been reviewed for a number of years.
The numbers of unemployment assistance cases in the city and county of Waterford reviewed by Officers of my Department in discharge of their statutory duties in the years ended 31st October, 1958, 31st October, 1959 and 31st October, 1960, were 44, 107 and 109 respectively. Unemployment assistance was reduced in 10, 20 and 29 cases respectively and disallowed in 4, 14, and 8 cases respectively.
Prior to September, 1958, the assessment of means for unemployment assistance purposes, where such were derived from the occupation of land, was based on values for stocks, crops, etc. adopted in 1940. Since September, 1958, up-to-date values, as are used for old age pensions and noncontributory widows' and orphans' pensions purposes, have been applied to the assessment of means for unemployment assistance purposes.
As regards the last part of the question, the numbers of persons signing at the local offices of my Department situated in the city and county of Waterford on the last Saturday in October, 1958, October, 1959, and October, 1960, who were not in receipt of either unemployment assistance or unemployment benefit were 39, 49 and 43 respectively.