Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 25 Oct 1994

Vol. 446 No. 3

Written Answers. - Live Register Exclusions.

Eric J. Byrne

Question:

107 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Taoiseach in respect of each January since its coming into effect, the number of persons working on systematic short time, smallholders and self-employed, participants of the pre-retirement allowance scheme and participants of the pre-retirement credits scheme who were excluded from the live register. [1958/94]

The Taoiseach

The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table:

Number of persons excluded from the Live Register on the last Friday of January 1980 to 1994.

	Systematic Short-time	Smallholders	Self-employed	Pre-retirement Allowance	Pre-retirement Credits
1980	2,310	*	—	—	—
1981	7,356	*	—	—	—
1982	7,963	*	—	—	—
1983	12,447	*	—	—	—
1984	5,782	*	—	—	—
1985	5,669	*	—	—	—
1986	4,767	*	—	—	—
1987	5,033	*	—	—	—
1988	5,511	*	—	—	—
1989	4,953	15,583	—	—	—
1990	4,047	14,852	—	—	—
1991	4,881	13,111	—	4,943	2,872
1992	6,215	12,564	—	7,514	3,666
1993	9,085	12,028	3,807	12,291	4,386
1994	7,711	11,130	3,957	12,723	4,955

* See Note 2 regarding smallholders.

Notes:

1. Persons on "three-day week" systematic short-time working were excluded from the live register from January 1980. The category was extended to incorporate persons on "week-on/week-off" working arrangements from May 1992.

2. Since the introduction of unemployment assistance for smallholders in January 1966, this group has been excluded from the live register. Separate figures on the number of smallholders in receipt of unemployment assistance have only been published by the CSO in respect of the period since January 1989.

3. The self-employed category was excluded from the live register with effect from May 1992.

4. The pre-retirement allowance scheme (PRETA) was introduced in March 1990. The qualifying age was reduced from 60 to 58 years with effect from April 1991 and from 58 years to 55 years with effect from May 1992.

5. The pre-retirement credit scheme (PRECS) was introduced in August 1990. The qualifying age was reduced from 60 to 58 years with effect from June 1991 and from 58 to 55 years with effect from June 1992.