I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 85 together.
The social welfare Estimates of expenditure on unemployment for 1995 are based on an average live register forecast of 266,000, as announced by the Minister for Finance on budget day. This number is some 16,000 below the 1994 average figure.
As is customary, the Department of Finance will review its budget day live register forecasts and any necessary revisions will be set out in its Economic Review and Outlook document, which should be published in July.
Expenditure on the full range of my Department's programmes is monitored closely as a matter of routine. The monitoring process covers all subheads of the Vote which includes income from PRSI receipts and will take into account any change in the live register projections provided by the Department of Finance as well as other relevant factors. It is too early yet to predict the overall outturn on the Social Welfare Vote with any degree of certainty and, therefore, too early to say whether a Supplementary Estimate will be needed later in the year.
I should also mention that, in addition to making the statutory unemployment payments, my Department, through its employment support services, actively encourages unemployed people to avail of the full range of relevant options and incentives. These include incentives to take up employment, self-employment, second-chance education, social employment or training which are administered by various Departments and agencies, including the Department of Social Welfare.