Vol. 407 No. 6
21 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Taoiseach if he will request the Central Statistics Office to include persons on the pre-retirement allowance scheme and the pre-retirement credits scheme in the unemployment figures released each month in order to give a more accurate overall picture; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Persons on the pre-retirement allowance (PRETA) and pre-retirement credits (PRECS) schemes make a declaration that they have retired from the labour market. Such persons are excluded from the live register on the basis of this declaration.
Table 6 of the Live Register Statement gives full details of the PRETA and PRECS schemes to enable more consistent comparisons to be made with past periods. The monthly statement clearly draws attention to the discontinuities which may occur arising from changes in the administrative regulations governing registration.
Will the Minister not agree that what is being used here is a device to make the unemployment figures seem much lower than they are? While he may well have a declaration from certain people that they have retired from the employment market, this is to avoid having to turn up every week to sign for allowances. In some instances they may not be entitled to any allowances. It would be far more realistic in terms of policy formulation to include these 8,466 people as unemployed.
This information is available and can be drawn on to make such comparisons. We should look at it in the positive sense. People aged 60 or over do not have to sign on at the employment office.
I agree, but surely the point is that they are unemployed 60 year olds who would work if they could get work.
We now move to Priority Questions.
