asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether it is the practice to require recipients of unemployment benefits to attend at the labour exchange on occasions in the week, other than those on which they draw benefit; and, if so, what is the purpose of such requirements.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Benefit Recipients.
43.
Recipients of unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance who live less than four miles from a local office of my Department are required to attend there on occasions in the week other than on the occasion of the weekly payment and the frequency of these attendances depends on a person's distance from the local office. The purpose of requiring attendance on occasions other than those on which benefit or assistance is paid is to obtain evidence of continuing unemployment and as a safeguard necessary for the prevention of abuse.
While there is this limitation on distance in regard to some, would the Minister not agree that this insistence on attendance does impose an avoidable hardship on people? Could he not devise some other system of bringing to the notice of the labour exchange the fact that these people are still unemployed?
No. I think it is a reasonable requirement. The obtaining of these payments of unemployment assistance or unemployment benefit entails the recipient being available for work; obviously it is not any great hardship on him then to attend on a limited number of occasions to provide evidence of the fact that he is still unemployed.
Does the Minister not agree that in certain cases he does away with the need for attendance?
Yes, when the people live outside a certain distance from the local exchange.
If it is not necessary for them to appear, why should it be necessary to observe the practice in respect of people who live within a particular range?
The Deputy's argument now appears to be against giving the concession to those who live outside a certain distance from the exchange.
Does the Minister think the practice is justified? Would he not reconsider the matter?
It is necessary to obtain evidence of unemployment, so far as it is reasonable to do so.