Historical data on the numbers of unemployed are not available at the local level requested by the Deputy. Information is available, however, for the total number of persons registered as unemployed at each Social Welfare local office in Kildare. These figures are contained in table 1 and refer to the period October 1990-October 1997. Table 2 lists the areas referred to by the Deputy and their corresponding local office. Information is also included for the Blessington Office, as some individuals from Kildare are registered at this office.
The figures in table 1 show that the total live register for County Kildare increased from 5,791 in 1990 to 8,646 in 1992 — an increase of almost 50 per cent, and since then, has fallen to 6,797 — a drop of 21 per cent. The national figures for these same periods showed an increase of almost 30 per cent followed by a drop of 17 per cent.
Although the rise in unemployment in Kildare in the early 1990s exceeded the national average, it should be noted that the population of County Kildare increased by over 5 per cent between 1986 and 1991 and by a further 10 per cent between 1991 and 1996. The national population figures for these periods showed a drop of 0.5 per cent followed by an increase of almost 3 per cent.
Table 1
Unemployment Figures for Social Welfare Local Offices in Kildare and part of Wicklow