Govt must take live register trends more seriously
Issued : Friday 12 January, 2007
Statement by Ruairi Quinn TD
Minister for Education and Skills
"This month's Live Register numbers, which show a continuation of the upward trend we have been seeing since September, prove that the Government needs to sit up and take serious stock of the economic situation," said Labour's Enterprise, Trade & Employment Spokesperson, Ruairi Quinn TD, today.
"September, October, November and December have now all seen increases in the Live Register. Minister Martin, however, has continued the Government's smug attitude towards the economic situation. This Government appears to believe that if they can keep ignoring the warning signs and do nothing until the election, they will somehow be able to backtrack and make the necessary corrections afterwards.
"In addition, the Government is ignoring the plight of the long term unemployed, who are being left further behind each month. Many employers are now forced to seek skilled workers abroad. If the Government is serious about helping the 30,000 long term unemployed who are under 30 years old, they will invest in training those people to take the many new jobs that are available. We cannot allow these young people to be alienated from society.
"Minister Martin's insistence yesterday that 'all's well' is typical of Fianna Fáil's arrogance. The balance of trade is about more than just currency. It is about whether we are producing enough to pay for that which we must import, or if we are living on credit. Under Minister Micheál Martin and Minister Brian Cowen's watch, we have seen the country's credit card balance head sharply towards our limit. Unless action is taken to increase our exports and stop the leakage of manufacturing and industrial enterprises out of the economy, any minor fluctuation in the international economic situation would leave us extremely exposed.
"Complacency will get us nowhere. We must be vigilant and mindful of our economy's weaknesses. Otherwise, we risk losing the prosperity built on the efforts of hardworking people across the country."
