Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for Finance the target he has set for the total number of unemployed at the end of four years as outlined in the medium-term fiscal statement. [36214/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the budgetary documentation which I provided to the House in December contains more up-to-date forecasts than the medium term fiscal statement. The unemployment rate is projected to fall over the coming years but to remain elevated. For 2015, my Department is forecasting an unemployment rate of 11.6 per cent. This figure is a forecast as opposed to a target. It does not take account of policies which the Government is currently working on, such as the Action Plan on Jobs, which my colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation will soon publish. I want to stress that the Government considers the labour market represents its biggest challenge and, accordingly, is giving top priority to job protection, job creation and supporting the unemployed.