Bertie Ahern
Question:1 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Taoiseach the number of registered unemployed in County Meath in December 1994, April 1995 and April 1996. [10224/96]
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Meath Unemployment Statistics.
The live register is an administrative count of applicants for unemployment assistance, claimants of unemployment benefit and other registrants, including persons signing for social welfare credits. The number on the live register in County Meath was 3,855 in December 1994; 3,830 in April 1995; and 4,133 in April 1996.
I had hoped the Taoiseach would take this statistical question. In view of increasing unemployment in County Meath, is the Minister of State aware of the Taoiseach's plans to do something about that?
As the Deputy has acknowledged, the question is essentially statistical and matters of policy should not therefore arise.
It is not true that there is increasing unemployment in County Meath. The figure for April in each of the years 1993 to 1996 were as follows: 1993, 4,839; 1994, 4,334; 1995, 3,830 and 1996, 4,133. There were 706 more people on the live register in April 1993 than in April 1996, and there is no need to remind the Deputy who was in power and who was Minister for Finance in 1993.
On the basis that more than 75,000 jobs were created in the past two years, it seems the Taoiseach ensured that Meath was by-passed for all those jobs.
Meath was not by-passed. For example, in 1995 ten projects were approved by the IDA for Meath, giving a total of 1,179 jobs. One of our success stories has been the county enterprise boards and between 1993 and 1996 Meath County Enterprise Board approved £647,515 for projects — in 1995 a sum of £348,925 was approved. Between 1993 and 1996 a total of 146 projects were approved, giving a job potential of 237 full time jobs and 32 part time jobs. The live register figure for April 1996 was 700 less than for April 1993 when the Deputy was Minister for Finance.
I will not delay the House on this matter because the Minister of State has been sent in to defend the position. The reality is that there have been several hundred fewer people working in Meath since this Government took office. The policies in that county have been an abject failure. Despite the fact that 40,000 jobs were created in the last year that I was Minister for Finance, Meath failed to benefit from any of them. I wish the county enterprise board well. There is a huge number of applications before the board which has insufficient funds.
This is a statistical question.