Vol. 435 No. 5
55 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Finance if, in view of the fact that the National Development Plan 1994-99. even if fully successful, requires radical fiscal policies along with an employment-oriented pay and exchange rate policy to significantly reduce unemployment, he will give details of the general level of unemployment he is aiming for by the end of 1997.
As noted in its Introduction, the National Development Plan is a plan for employment. Its central objective is to increase output, economic potential and long-term jobs. This is why it addresses growth and employment possibilities for the period to 1999 rather than making forecasts of future unemployment.
The level of unemployment in the medium-term will be affected not only by output and employment developments but also by a number of factors affecting the size of the labour force, including migration flows, which cannot be predicted with any degree of reliability.
