Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)

The context of this discussion is the increase of 8% in the latest long-term unemployment figures. This is a major concern. More than 60% of the unemployed in the State have been out of work for more than one year. The sad and sorry fact is that the policies of this and previous Government have failed utterly. This is compounded by the thousands of people who see no future here and are being forced to emigrate. The weekend saw scenes reminiscent of the worst days of the 1980s with thousands queuing at the RDS for an opportunity to work abroad.

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