asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state the amount of unemployment benefit paid to persons registered at the Limerick employment exchange in each of the years 1955 to 1960.

The amounts of unemployment benefit paid to persons registered at the Employment Exchange, Limerick in each of the financial years ended on the 31st March, 1958, 1959 and 1960 were, respectively, £129,407, £120,107 and £103,555. The information requested is not available for any year prior to the financial year ended on the 31st March, 1958.

7.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state the total amount of unemployment assistance paid to persons registered at the Limerick employment exchange in each of the years 1955 to 1960.

The amounts of unemployment assistance paid to persons registered at the Employment Exchange, Limerick in each of the financial years ended on the 31st March, 1958, 1959 and 1960 were, respectively, £58,306, £62,303 and £51,430. The information requested is not available for any year prior to the financial year ended on the 31st March, 1958. I should point out that the amounts of unemployment assistance paid in the financial years ended on the 31st March, 1958, 1959 and 1960 were affected not only by variations in the numbers of persons applying for unemployment assistance but also by variations in the rates of unemployment assistance payable, those rates having been increased twice during that period, first in May, 1957 and again in August, 1959.

Might I ask the Parliamentary Secretary why the information is not available for the first three years?

I suggest that the Deputy put down a separate question about that.

Might I press the Parliamentary Secretary to say why a separate question is necessary to explain why the Parliamentary Secretary is unable to give information in respect of these three years?

I have not got the detailed information which would enable me to answer that question.

The Minister was asked for it—why did he not try to get it?