Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 22 Oct 2003

Vol. 573 No. 1

Written Answers. - Unemployment Levels.

Charlie O'Connor

Ceist:

135 Mr. O'Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the monthly unemployment figures for Tallaght, Dublin 24, for the month of June between 1998 and 2003; the way in which the figures compare; her views on the trends; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24408/03]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

Statistics on unemployment are measured by the quarterly national household survey. It is devised on a regional basis and does not separate out data for specific areas such as Tallaght. Live register figures are available for the Tallaght area. However, the live register is not a definitive measure of unemployment as it includes part-time workers, seasonal and casual workers. The live register figures for the Tallaght local office for the month of June between 1998 and 2003 are set out as follows:

Year	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
June	5,539	4,576	3,377	2,728	3,275	3,599

It should be noted that the exact area covered by each local office is not limited to the immediate locality of the particular office – for example, in the Tallaght local office persons from the Blessington area may be registered.

The pattern in the Tallaght area reflects national trends over this period, including the knock-on effect of the slowdown in economic growth both nationally and internationally. The prediction for 2003 is that the numbers in employment will continue to grow as employment opportunities come on stream.