asked the Taoiseach (a) the number of weeks covered by the current Employment Period Order, (b) how much of the decline in the Live Register since the week ended 7th March 1964 is due to the operation of the aforesaid Order, and (c) the number of weeks covered by a similar Order in each of the last ten years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Employment Period Order.
1.
The Unemployment Assistance (Employment Period) Order 1964 covers a period of 34 weeks from 11 March to 3 November, 1964. The corresponding order covered 32 weeks in the years 1954 to 1957 inclusive and 34 weeks in the years 1958 to 1963 inclusive.
The effect of the order in question is to exclude from the receipt of unemployment assistance occupiers of land exceeding £4 rateable valuation who reside outside a county or other borough, urban district or other incorporated town.
The number of applicants "with means" for unemployment assistance fell by 2,802 between 7 and 14 March, 1964 and by a further 1,101 between the later date and 6 June, 1964 the latest date for which data are available. The Employment Period Order in question was clearly the dominant factor in the first mentioned decrease, but this fall did not involve a corresponding decrease in the total Live Register at that period, since between 7 and 14 March, 1964 the number of "applicants for credits" on the Register rose by 2,219 and these include a number of persons who were excluded from receipt of unemployment assistance in virtue of the order. Between 14 March and 6 June, 1964 the number of "applicants for credits" fell by 1,369. It is not possible to determine precisely what proportion of these changes are ascribable to the operation of the order in question since over the interval many other factors were in operation.