James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My question concerns the unemployment black spots, particularly those in County Wexford as outlined in the recently released CSO figures. The south east in general and parts of Wexford in particular continue to suffer unnecessarily from high unemployment. I say unnecessarily because there is a huge untapped potential in terms of the economy in County Wexford, particularly in light of its proximity to Dublin and Europe. I am particularly concerned that, in the broader statistics of decreasing unemployment, local areas with persistent unemployment will be lost in the statistics and forgotten. It will take targeted measures to address the high levels of unemployment in certain parts of Wexford. I am especially concerned about unemployed people under the age of 25 and those over the age of 55. Will the Minister outline the specific programmes to target youth unemployment and unemployment among those aged over 55, particularly in circumstances where individuals have been unemployed long term?

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