Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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156. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which youth unemployment currently reflected in the live register is likely to be affected by her proposals to address the issue of youth unemployment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19403/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The latest published figures show there were some 66,552 young people under 25 years of age signing on the Live Register in March 2013. This represents a 9% decrease from twelve months previously when there were 72,953 young people signing on. One in three young people (35%) on the Live Register had been signing on continuously for more than a year, which is similar to the proportion twelve months previously (36%).

The Government’s policies in relation to youth unemployment are set out in reply to a separate question from the Deputy for answer today (Ref no.19401-13).

The most recently published official forecasts are that the overall unemployment rate is expected to fall to 13% by the end of 2015, which would imply a youth unemployment rate of 25-27% as compared with an average of 30% in 2012. The most recent trends suggest that the outcome is likely to be somewhat more favourable than these projections. It is to be expected that any favourable trends in youth unemployment will be reflected in further reductions in the number of young people on the Live Register.