Sir F. HALLasked the Minister of Labour if his attention has been called to the resolution passed by the grand jury at Fermanagh calling the attention of the Government to the effect the out-of-work donation was having in Ireland, stating that in most of the towns men were to be seen idling away their time and hatching sedition and mischief owing to the donation, and suggesting that the Act should be made applicable only to men who had been engaged in the actual fighting, and all payments be supervised by the police of the district; and if it is proposed to take any further steps to limit the grant of out-of-work donation to cases in which it is clearly justified?
§ Mr. WARDLEThe resolution mentioned by my hon. and gallant Friend has been received by the Irish Department of the Ministry and is being considered. Meanwhile I may remind the hon. and gallant Member that, apart from ex-members of His Majesty's Forces, no one is entitled to out-of-work donation in Ireland except workpeople compulsorily insured under the Unemployment Insurance Acts and a few special groups in which the Lord Lieutenant has certified a substantial degree of unemployment directly due to the cessation of hostilities. I should like to add an appeal to employers to make a regular practice of notifying their labour requirements to the Employment Exchange. It is only in this way that the Exchanges can effectively exercise their1962W function of finding work for the unemployed and reduce the amount being paid in out-of-work donation.