Written answers
Thursday, 15 December 2005
Department of Foreign Affairs
Northern Ireland Issues
5:00 pm
John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has data available regarding the economic situation in Northern Ireland, particularly regarding unemployment levels in two communities; the numbers unemployed; the percentage of the workforce unemployed; the numbers unemployed five and ten years ago; and the breakdown between the two communities. [39937/05]
Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The table sets out the data requested by the Deputy, the numbers and percentages unemployed in Northern Ireland and the breakdown between the communities in 1995, 2000, and 2005 respectively.
| Spring 1995 | Spring 2000 | Spring 2005 | |
| Protestant | |||
| Unemployed (number) | 33,000 | 18,500 | 12,000 |
| Unemployed percentage | 8.4% | 4.8% | 2.9% |
| Catholic | |||
| Unemployed (number) | 39,500 | 29,500 | 19,500 |
| Unemployed percentage | 14.8% | 10.1% | 6.5% |
| Northern Ireland | |||
| Unemployed (number) | 77,000 | 50,000 | 35,500 |
| Unemployed percentage | 10.9% | 6.9% | 4.6% |
As is clear from the data shown above, the total number of unemployed in Northern Ireland has more than halved over the past decade, falling from 77,000 in spring 1995 to 35,500 in spring 2005. In the same period, the numbers of Protestants unemployed has fallen from 33,000 to 12,000, and the number of Catholics from 39,500 to 19,500.
Despite those improvements, however, the unemployment differential between the two communities has remained broadly static over the past decade and is still twice the level for Catholics as for Protestants. That remains of concern to the Government, and work is ongoing within the framework of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to make progress in tackling the problem.
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