asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.

The reason for the delay in payment of unemployment benefit to the person concerned is that employment contributions had not been paid by his employer at the date of the claim.

Pending the completion of investigations the unpaid contributions were treated as paid for the purposes of his claim and all unemployment benefit due has now been paid to him.

This is a similar case — indeed it is the same firm, which suggests the Deputy has taken a particular firm which had not made payments. This man was an apprentice plasterer who claimed on 20 November. I will not mention the company.

I have not taken the one firm. I have taken up the case of a man who had worked for 40 years without a break in employment. He made a claim for unemployment benefit and his claim was disallowed because the stamps had not been sent in by the employer. I am concerned about the insured person, the worker.

So am I, and I have made up his contributions for him.

(Cavan-Monaghan): The Minister said as an excuse that contributions had not been paid and I think I heard him to say that it was not the Department's duty to go out to see that the contributions were paid. Surely that is the Department's duty, to get out and see that these contributions are paid.

If the Department had 1.25 million staff to police everybody individually——

(Cavan-Monaghan): Is the Minister leaving it a free for all?

The Deputy knows that is not feasible. The PRSI system was introduced to deal with that problem.

11.