Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 222: To ask the Taoiseach the unemployment statistics and figures within County Donegal, particularly within the Milford electoral area for the past ten years. [33035/06]

Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The exact information as requested by the Deputy is not available. Statistics on employment and unemployment are compiled, at a regional level, from the Quarterly National Household Survey. There are eight regions in the State; Border, Midland, West, Dublin, Mid-East, Mid-West, South-East and South-West. Sub-regional statistics, of the kind requested by the Deputy, are not available from the Quarterly National Household Survey.

However, the Live Register series gives a monthly breakdown of the number of people claiming Unemployment Assistance, Unemployment Benefit and other registrants as registered with the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Figures are published for each county and each Local Social Welfare Office. A breakdown by postal district is not available. The most recent information available is for September 2006.

The Live Register figures for all the Local/ Branch Offices in Co. Donegal for each month from 1997 to date are set out in the following table.

It should be noted that—

[a] the Live Register is not a definitive measure of unemployment as it includes part-time workers, seasonal and casual workers entitled to Unemployment Assistance or Benefit. Statistics on unemployment are measured at regional level by the Quarterly National Household Survey.

the exact area covered by each Local Office is not limited to the immediate locality of the particular office. For instance, in the Tallaght Local Office there may be registered, persons from the Blessington area.