asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will abolish the present regulations which provide that applicants for unemployment benefit who are licensed vintners are deemed to be ineligible, regardless of how small their real means may be.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Licensed Vintners' Unemployment Benefit.
12.
The regulations which the Deputy has in mind are, I think, those which define unemployment in the case of persons who follow a subsidiary occupation in addition to their usual employment. These regulations are contained in the Social Welfare (Disability, Unemployment and Marriage Benefit) Regulations, 1953 (S. I. No. 7 of 1953), as amended. Substantial modifications in favour of claimants to unemployment benefit were recently made in these regulations— which, incidentally, contain no provisions in relation to licensed vintners specifically—and the opportunity was taken to review, in the context of those improvements, the unemployment benefit position of licensed vintners. As a result, in so far as title to unemployment benefit is concerned, insured persons who are also licensed vintners are being treated under the current regulations in the same way as insured persons who have other kinds of subsidiary occupations.
Would the Minister not agree that once the Department is aware that an applicant is a licensed vintner his application is ruled out or struck out without further investigation?
No. That is not the position now.
Will the Minister not agree that there are publicans in receipt of very small incomes from their business—in such cases the business is managed by one of the family —and when they become unemployed —as a number of them have become in recent months—they are denied unemployment benefit because of being licensed vintners?
That was the position. It is not the position now.
When did it change?
A couple of months ago.
It has not reached West Cork yet.
I am pleased that my representations have brought about this change. Will the Minister now agree to review the cases that were struck out before the change came into operation and grant them the benefit——
That is a different matter.
——taking into account that he is now satisfied it was unfair and unjust to rule out their applications on the basis that they were licensed vintners? Will the Minister now consider reviewing the cases that were ruled out before he changed the regulations?
Current cases will be dealt with under current regulations.
I am glad to have got that much out of the Minister.