asked the Taoiseach the number of persons registered as unemployed at each local employment office in the Cork south-west region at 31 October 1989.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Statistics.
4.
I propose to circulate in the Official Report a statement giving the information sought by the Deputy.
The following table shows the number of persons on the live register at each local employment office in south-west Cork on 29 September 1989, the latest date for which the information is available.
|
Local Office |
29 September 1989 |
|
Bandon |
521 |
|
Bantry |
456 |
|
Castletownbere |
247 |
|
Clonakilty |
434 |
|
Dunmanway |
336 |
|
Skibbereen |
585 |
Has the Minister of State available to him the corresponding emigration figures for each of these areas for the past two years? Does the Central Statistics Office apparatus enable such figures to be compiled for these local employment office areas?
This question deals with unemployment.
The other side of the coin is emigration. I am anxious to get the full picture and that is why I am asking a statistical question. Are these figures available to the Minister of State?
That is worthy of a separate question.
Can he obtain these figures?
I am very glad to be able to inform Deputy O'Keeffe that the unemployment figure for the south-west region is down by 15 per cent as compared with 1985.
I am not at all surprised. What surprises me is that there is anyone left to emigrate out of the place as so many have left. Would the Minister of State answer my question? I asked him if it is possible for him to furnish to me or to obtain for me the corresponding emigration figures for these local employment office areas?
That is clearly a separate question.
That is not in the question. The question deals with the unemployment figures.
Is the Minister of State saying to me that he cannot answer the question? What I want to know is——
I think the Deputy should put down the question.
If the Deputy puts down a separate question, I will answer it for him.
I will do that.
Question No. 5.
Finally, it is clear from the evidence that both the unemployment and emigration figures for the area are appalling and I ask the Minister of State whether there is resigned acceptance of this position on the part of the Government and whether those appalling figures impact in any way on Government decisions, such as the one relating to the Cork-Swansea ferry or others which are of importance to the people of the south?
The Deputy's question is essentially statistical. He may not enter into the area of policy now. Question No. 5.
I am merely asking whether these appalling statistics are taken into account?
That is a policy area. The Deputy can pursue that in another way. Question No. 5, please.
I am only waiting to name the Deputy for being disorderly.
Deputy O'Donoghue got a job.
5.
asked the Taoiseach when he will request the Central Statistics Office to resume the work they were carrying out in supplying the unemployment figures on a monthly basis for each county; when the Government decision to cease providing this information was made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Deputy is presumably referring to the Area of Residence Analysis of the Live Register which was prepared on a quarterly basis for previous years. Since January of this year that analysis has been replaced with a new monthly analysis based on area of registration. This change was one of those introduced following a general review of the set of live register analyses.
The new analysis gives totals of registrations in each county. It has many other advantages by comparison with the former analysis, such as (1) it is linked to the end-of-month count of the live register; (2) it has a monthly rather than a quarterly frequency; (3) details for each of the 129 local employment offices are published within ten working days of the reference date; and (4) separate details on persons under and over 25 years of age registering at each local office are published.
The new monthly analysis provides, therefore, a more frequent, comprehensive and timely geographical analysis of the live register than was hitherto available. A copy of the results for 29 September 1989, the latest date for which the figures are available, is in the Dáil Library.
Is the Minister of State satisfied that the comprehensive reply he has given is far more adequate than the original one? Are the general public being made aware, as frequently as they should, of the real unemployment figures for the counties I have mentioned in my question.
As I have indicated, the previous analysis was subject to many deficiencies. For example, many towns had expanded well beyond their original legal boundaries and in these cases the data, referring as they did to only part of the built up town area, were not particularly useful and not completely accurate. Secondly, it was also difficult for the staff in the local employment offices to accurately locate residents' addresses relative to the legal boundaries of the town. Notification of these changes has been made on a very frequent basis, dating back to November 1988. They are still being notified in the respective areas.
The information on each county is not up to date as people have informed me as regards the number of people out of work as against the number of those who have emigrated in the interim period.
Ceist, a Theachta.
Will the Minister of State ensure that the figure for those unemployed in these particular counties will be published on a monthly basis?
We have had that question before.
I can assure Deputy Farrelly that every consideration is frequently given to ensuring that the statistical information available is very much up to date and as accurate as possible. As I say, consideration is given to that very frequently and I can assure the Deputy that that will continue.