asked the Minister for Finance the projected figure for the number unemployed by the end of 1987; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
27.
Written Answers. - Unemployment Statistics.
14.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a statement estimating the effect of the budget on present levels of unemployment.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 27 together.
The projected end-1987 live register total is 242,000. This is consistent with the average live register figure underlying the estimate for the Department of Social Welfare.
The extent to which a revision to the end-year estimate may prove necessary must await an assessment of the likely impact of the Jobsearch Programme. With the availability of this assessment, together with later live register figures, a more reliable basis will exist for assessing the trend.
The deseasonalised live register figures for the first five months of the year indicate that threequarters of the deseasonalised increase was accounted for by the female unemployed even though females comprise only about one quarter of the total live register. The recent extensions of married women's eligibility contributed to the increase.
It is not possible to identify the total impact of the budget on overall unemployment separately from the other influencing factors. These relate not only to the economic development measures of the budget but to all developments, both external and domestic, which can affect employment.