Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

This is an important point. I did not interrupt the Deputy and it is important in a debate such as this that we put facts on the table.

In August 2005, there were 1,605 people on the live register in Ballina. The most recent data available, which are for August 2006, show that the number has fallen to 1,448.

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