In March, April and May 1996, the three most recent months for which figures are available, a total of 3,320 proposed redundancies were notified to my Department compared with a total of 3,506 proposed redundancies notified in the same period in 1995.
During this period, 42 of the proposed redundancies were in the area of slaughtering, preparing and preserving of meat, compared with 44 proposed redundancies notified in the same period in 1995. The proposed redundancies notified in March, April and May 1996 were not specifically attributed to the current difficulties in the beef industry.
Statistics on the number of persons on short-time working are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Social Welfare. I am informed, however, that these statistics do not distinguish between different industrial sectors.