Vol. 432 No. 6
37 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if he will include Waterford city and the surrounding catchment areas in the extension of the Area Based Partnership Companies currently under review, in view of the fact that unemployment in Waterford city is 21 per cent above the national average; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I recently confirmed that I had requested my Department to consider the scope for extending the area based response to long-term unemployment by means of an examination of areas with similar socio-economic profiles to the existing 12 partnerships. The selection of areas will have to take account of factors such as the level of unemployment, particularly long-term unemployment, the need for a geographical and urban-rural spread and the existence of structures and activities already in place on which the area based response could build.
An extension of the area based response will, however, require further consideration on the part of the Central Review Committee of Programme for Economic and Social Progress, which is charged with monitoring the current initiative, and also by the Government in the context of framing the National Development Plan, 1994-99.
