Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on the Department of the Taoiseach
Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised)
3:00 pm
Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source
I came across an astounding figure last week. I was researching the unemployment figures and I found that 7,500 people over the age of 65 who are unemployed are not counted in the live register. There has been a change in the past number of years with regard pensions and the pension age has been increased. The CSO counts these individuals but they are not included in the live register. To put that figure in perspective, that number represents about 12% of all the new jobs the Government has created since 2011. It is no mean figure. If we do not analyse the figures, how do we come up with the policies to resolve these individuals' specific life experiences? It does not show respect for that age cohort if they are excluded from the liver register figures even though they are unemployed. What can be done from the perspective of the Taoiseach's office or the CSO to ensure that when the live register figures are communicated they are not skewed by the numbers that are lacking?
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