asked the Taoiseach if he will state the total number of persons in wholetime employment in the State in each of the years 1956, 1957, 1958, and to the nearest available date in 1959.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Persons in Wholetime Employment.
3.
It is not possible to ascertain the total number of persons in wholetime employment in the State at any specific date. Particulars of the numbers of persons in insurable employment are, however, available in the form of estimates based on insurance stamps sold, or issued to employer depositors. Thus the average number of stamps sold per week in a year provides an estimate of the average number of persons in insurable employment throughout that year.
For the years ended 31st March from 1956 to 1959 the estimates of the weekly average number of persons in insurable employment were as follows:—
|
Year ended 31st March |
|
|
1956 |
501,400 |
|
1957 |
485,900 |
|
1958 |
464,700 |
|
1959 |
460,200 |
These estimates relate to financial years in order to eliminate any possible effect of the lack of coincidence between the period of employment and the purchase of the insurance stamps.
Down 40,000 in four years.
The bulk of which took place when the Coalition Government were in office. We are trying to repair the damage.
Am I correct in believing that there are actually 40,000 fewer people employed in the last year mentioned——
Deputies can gloat as much as they like over the economic difficulties of the country. We are trying to rectify them.
I miss the Taoiseach's customary courtesy. I expected him to wait until I had finished. What I wished to know was: do the figures which the Parliamentary Secretary read out in fact indicate that there were 40,000 fewer people at work in the last year mentioned than there were two years before that?
If the Deputy studies the figures, he will see that there has been a very substantial improvement in the trend as revealed by these figures.
Less than 1956.
Surely there is no need to get cross. I am merely trying to get a correct understanding of the figures which were read out by the Parliamentary Secretary. I may be mistaken but I understood him to say that in the second last year there were approximately 500,000 in insurable employment and in the last year there were 460,000.
That is right.
I wish to avoid any false impression but were there actually 40,000 fewer people at work?
If the Deputy studies the figures, he will note that the trend is not unsatisfactory. The rate of progress is by no means rapid enough to achieve the economic aims we set out to achieve. We are still trying to repair the disastrous results of the Coalition Government.
Where is the £100 million now?