Máirín Quill
Ceist:73 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Social Welfare if the noticeable drop in the unemployment figures is as a result of the new social welfare anti-fraud regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18591/96]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Fraud.
Ivor Callely
Ceist:141 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social Welfare if there has been any noticeable change by claimants of social welfare since the recent attention to the levels of social welfare fraud; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18701/96]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 73 and 141 together.
The live register for the week ending 27 September 1996 was 278,741. This represents an overall decline of 8,857 in the numbers for the previous month. The decline in the seasonally adjusted figure was 2,900.
I welcome the reduction in the live register figures and I believe that the publicity surrounding the publication of the recent CSO report and the announcement of the Government's package of measures aimed at combating fraud has had an impact on the figures. There were a number of other factors which contributed to this decrease. These include people employed in schools and colleges returning to work, young people commencing/returning to second level and third level education schemes and the return to work, after summer holidays, of a number of firms.