Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 117: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he will take to counteract the dramatic rise in redundancies, now averaging 523 per month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17882/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In the past five years the numbers in employment increased by 268,000 or by 15.6%. Employment increased by 87,000 or by 4.7% last year alone. This is the highest annual rate of growth since 2000. Over 7,000 new jobs are created every month on average. This is way in excess of the average rate of redundancies. This means that those who lose their jobs through redundancy are finding new employment. In effect we have full employment and have reached a stage where new job opportunities often have to be filled by the important skills brought by immigrants. Competitive economies display long term growth in national income, sustainable increases in employment and distinctive progress in living standards for all citizens. Ireland is such an economy. It is also one of the most open economies in the world where growth in employment and national income depend on being able to trade competitively against the most sophisticated economies in the world. This we are doing successfully.