Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 1991

Vol. 407 No. 1

Written Answers. - Unemployment Register.

Jim Mitchell

Question:

36 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Taoiseach the number of persons aged over 55 who were excluded from the register of unemployment for the month of February 1991 merely because of age; and if he will give the total figure on the register for unemployment, inclusive of persons over 55, in respect of that month.

The Taoiseach

Nobody has been excluded from the live register merely because of age.

The report of the Interdepartmental Study Group on Unemployment Statistics, published in April 1979, recommended that persons aged 65 years and over should be excluded from the live register effectively because they are retired. This recommendation was implemented from January 1980.

There are two schemes currently in operation — the pre-retirement allowance scheme and the pre-retirement credits scheme under which persons in receipt of long term unemployment assistance or signing for credits respectively can declare themselves as retired from the labour market. The numbers of persons so excluded are stated clearly in Table 6 of the monthly live register statement. There were 243,382 persons on the live register at 22 February 1991.