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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 17 Dec 2003

Vol. 577 No. 4

Written Answers. - Unemployment Levels.

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

103 Mr. Naughten asked the Taoiseach the CSO unemployment figures for County Roscommon in each of the past seven years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31683/03]

The exact information as requested by the Deputy is not available. Statistics on employment and unemployment are compiled, at a regional level, from the Quarterly National Household Survey. The latest statistics show that there were 10,700 people classified as unemployed in the west region in the June to August quarter of 2003. The west region consists of County Roscommon, County Mayo and Galway city and county. Sub-regional statistics, of the kind requested by the Deputy, are not available from the Quarterly National Household Survey.

Figures for the west region from 1997 to 2003, inclusive, from the 1997 Annual Labour Force Survey and for quarter two of the Quarterly National Household Survey from 1998 to 2003 are:

Number of persons (thousands) aged 15 years and over unemployed (ILO) in the West Region

Region

Year

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

West

14.3

9.8

8.3

8.5

7.0

9.4

7.8

The live register series gives a monthly breakdown of the number of people claiming unemployment assistance, unemployment benefit and other claimants registered with the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Figures are published for each county and each local social welfare office. A breakdown by postal district is not available. The most recent information available is for November 2003. It should be noted that the live register is not a definitive measure of unemployment as it includes part-time workers, seasonal and casual workers entitled to unemployment assistance or benefit. Statistics on unemployment are measured at regional level by the Quarterly National Household Survey. The exact area covered by each local office is not limited to the immediate locality of the particular office. For instance, in the Tallaght local office there may be registered, persons from the Blessington area.
The live register figures for the county of Roscommon and the local offices of Boyle, Castlerea and Roscommon from January 1997 to November 2003 are set out in the following table:
Number of persons signing on the Live Register in the County of Roscommon

Year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Average

1997

2,114

2,186

2,135

2,013

1,981

2,091

2,128

2,092

2,003

2,038

2,036

2,068

2,074

1998

2,022

2,011

1,954

1,998

1,921

1,901

2,010

2,045

1,905

1,878

1,809

1,994

1,954

1999

1,957

1,923

1,851

1,755

1,777

1,885

2,003

2,046

1,930

1,805

1,767

1,876

1,881

2000

1,914

1,830

1,742

1,746

1,627

1,706

1,741

1,719

1,587

1,543

1,508

1,528

1,683

2001

1,527

1,485

1,460

1,440

1,372

1,466

1,528

1,535

1,408

1,367

1,385

1,502

1,456

2002

1,569

1,545

1,534

1,482

1,477

1,564

1,627

1,657

1,472

1,438

1,435

1,513

1,526

2003

1,519

1,477

1,422

1,420

1,372

1,493

1,569

1,611

1,379

1,349

1,316

Number of persons signing on at Boyle local office

Year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Average

1997

548

565

567

526

531

566

568

569

560

557

553

568

557

1998

543

550

537

545

534

557

571

556

533

526

530

553

545

1999

545

547

514

519

534

559

613

633

588

552

527

552

557

2000

553

535

522

525

490

522

526

527

486

471

455

457

506

2001

470

459

446

437

415

438

441

440

390

383

373

400

424

2002

422

405

408

409

407

424

443

447

384

360

379

392

407

2003

397

378

355

369

354

382

421

438

372

371

371

Number of persons signing on at Castlerea local office

Year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Average

1997

1,160

1,126

1,139

1,087

1,072

1,120

1,146

1,111

1,054

1,108

1,125

1,137

1,115

1998

1,125

1,129

1,098

1,135

1,063

985

1,057

1,089

1,016

1,001

922

1,061

1,057

1999

1,053

1,020

994

925

936

993

1,028

1,027

987

926

904

956

979

2000

995

965

893

901

834

854

866

840

761

728

706

697

837

2001

694

696

689

704

682

742

775

765

722

708

729

789

725

2002

816

780

760

726

729

770

797

806

731

704

694

766

757

2003

745

721

695

710

683

749

756

755

672

648

624

Number of persons signing on at Roscommon Town local office

Year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Average

1997

406

495

429

400

378

405

414

412

389

373

358

363

402

1998

354

332

319

318

324

359

382

400

356

351

357

380

353

1999

359

356

343

311

307

333

362

386

355

327

336

368

345

2000

366

330

327

320

303

330

349

352

340

344

347

374

340

2001

363

330

325

299

275

286

312

330

296

276

283

313

307

2002

331

360

366

347

341

370

387

404

357

374

362

355

363

2003

377

378

372

341

335

362

392

418

335

330

321

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