Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)

We have 440,000 people unemployed and the last thing we should do is add to that number. We should also not add to the direct cost to the State of unemployment, given that each additional person on the live register costs approximately €20,000. There is also the knock-on effect of the loss of jobs in local authorities. It is accepted that each new job generates approximately three jobs in downstream employment.

Similarly, one job loss in a local authority means the loss of another three jobs downstream. Given that there are 440,000 people unemployed, surely this is madness. We need to retain staff, remove the embargo, inflate the economy and create jobs.

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