Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)

I thank the Minister of State. On behalf of the Labour Party, I am shocked by the blasé reply. Nobody is in charge. Nobody is taking this seriously. For the first time since 1999 there are more than 200,000 people on the live register. It is the biggest increase — 31% over a 12-month period — since the live register came into being in 1968. Conditions in the labour market have taken a decided turn for the worst since January last. Live register unemployment is up by 35,700. There is a 20.8% increase in the seasonally adjusted numbers on the register since the end of December last, 25,500 men and 10,100 women. Redundancies are up by 13,564 since January. Economists predict that the unemployment rate will rise to 6% or more.

We reflect the public view that there is no sense in anyone being in charge. There is no sense in anybody taking this matter seriously. The blasé nature of the Minister of State's reply vindicates that viewpoint. Naively, I stated last March that if the Government did not take action soon the number on the live register would be almost 200,000 by the end of the year and that the Government must end its complacency. What action will the Government take? What interventions will the Government make to improve the situation? Will this be moved to the top of the Government's political agenda? What attempts are being made to save existing jobs and what efforts is the Department making to attract alternative industry to places that are losing jobs and where jobs are being displaced?

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