Bertie Ahern
Question:1 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Taoiseach the net change in employment in the six Border counties between December 1994 and January 1997. [4288/97]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Border Region Employment.
The labour force survey provides annual information on employment and unemployment in each region. The results of the survey relate to the position in April. The number of people at work in the Border region, which comprises the six Border counties, was 127,200 in April 1994. The corresponding figure for April 1995 was 132,900 and for April 1996, 131,700. This represents a net increase of 4,500 in the number of people at work in the Border counties between April 1994 and April 1996.
The Minister gave the labour force survey figures for the highest unemployment region in the country. Will he say how many new jobs have been created in the Border region in the past two years?
That is a separate question. I am addressing the number of people at work, which presumably is based on the number of jobs created. In 1991 there were 121,500 people at work in the region; 1992, 124,000; 1993, 124,000; 1994, 127,000; 1995, 132,000 and 1996, 131,700. The net increase in the number of people at work in the Border counties between 1991 and 1996 was 10,000. I understand that the intention was to ask how many people were unemployed, and the answer to that question is, 1991, 26,100; 1992, 26,000; 1993, 26,500; 1994, 24,600; 1995, 20,500 and 1996, 25,500.
Let us not forget that this question is essentially statistical and matters of policy, therefore, do not arise.
I thank the Minister for the reply. Will he give the labour force survey figures for the Border region? Even taking into account the initiatives promoted in recent years, which were supported by the Opposition, that region has the highest unemployment in the country. Will the Minister give the statistics to prove that, which I am sure are available to him?
I have given the figures from the labour force survey, which is carried out in April of each year.
What are the figures vis-à-vis other regions?
I do not have that information, but I gave the reply to the specific question asked in regard to the six Border counties. The Minister set up a task force which reported and made recommendations. That report, which was the driving force behind the economic resurgence in the Border region, resulted in the implementation of a co-ordinated policy, one stop shops and so on. If one looks at the recent performance in Border counties, there has been a considerable improvement in the general economic position. Considering the number of planning permissions and applications in a whole range of economic activities, the Border counties are experiencing an economic renaissance and resurgence which was not evident ten years ago.
With the introduction of a quarterly labour force survey, as from the middle of this year we will be in a position to monitor the figures on a regular basis. From the point of view of the objective definition of unemployment, the labour force survey is recognised as the most accurate gauge of the number of people at work and the number unemployed.
The Minister said that the task force report was the driving force behind the improvements in the Border region. Will he accept that the reason the number of jobs decreased in the past two years and the number unemployed increased by 5,000 during 1995 and 1996 is that that is the only driving force? Will he accept that, despite the fact that the Border region has been targeted by the IFI, US funds and peace and reconciliation moneys, little has been achieved because there is a fundamental flaw in Government policy?
I want to avoid policy at this stage.
There has never been greater Government commitment to the Border region. With funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the Peace and Reconciliation Programme and Structural and Cohesion Funds——
Where are the jobs?
——and given the announcement yesterday by the Minister for the Environment of various schemes, there has never been such an injection of capital to the Border counties. The statistics speak for themselves. The question asked by the Deputy's party leader relates to the two year period 1994-6, and in that period the pattern in the Border region reflects that nationally. There has been a massive return to work and in the six Border counties there were 4,500 more people at work in April 1996 than in April 1994.
I cannot discuss policy but that should help the Minister because, according to the Taoiseach, Fine Gael does not have any policy.
The Deputy is pathetic.
I received figures yesterday when I tabled a parliamentary question which show that the Border areas have the worst unemployment rate at over 15 per cent. Perhaps the Minister could give us a breakdown of the unemployment figures in each of the six counties. Will he accept that counties Louth and Donegal have the worst unemployment rates and that the economic boom is not reflected in those two counties?
I do not have a breakdown for each county, but the figures are available from the live register. As the Deputy knows, the labour force survey is carried out on a regional basis and the Border counties are treated as a separate region. I have given the Deputy the global figure. The survey is carried out on a range of 45,000 houses on a regional basis.
It is generally accepted that the Border counties have gained from the rising tide of economic performance, good public finances, low inflation and monetary stability which has been reflected across the spectrum of economic activity. There are now more people at work than ever before in the history of the State and the prospects are good as we face into the new millennium.
Did the unemployment figures in the Border areas increase by 5,000 from 1995 to 1996? The figures were 24,000 in 1994 but they have now increased to 25,000.
The labour force survey shows that the unemployment figures in 1994 were 24,600, 20,500 in 1995 and 25,500 in 1996.
Does that not prove that the Border areas are not experiencing the economic boom and that the Government, who appointed a Minister from County Clare to look after the Border counties, is doing nothing about it?
The Deputy must look at the 1994 unemployment figures in conjunction with those for 1996 which show an increase of 900. When that figure is set against the figure of 4,500 more people at work, it shows there are 3,500 more people at work.
Tell that to the people in Dundalk and Drogheda.
There has been a net gain of over 3,600 in terms of people at work.
The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise and Employment, Deputy Rabbitte, got a taste of it recently.
The Minister stated that the average unemployment rate in the Border counties is 15 per cent. However, that figure is as high as 24 per cent in County Donegal. Over 400 American companies have invested in this country, which is 60 per cent of the total inward investment, yet only 16 are located in the six Border counties. Do these statistics not indicate——
We are not debating that matter.
——the lack of support from the Government and from Government agencies, such as IDA Ireland and Forbairt which deal with these companies, in this area?
That is a matter of policy. I must now move to Question No. 2.
It is a statistical question.
Policy matters must be debated at another time.
Why did only 16 American companies out of 400 set up in the Border region?
That is not part of the question.