Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the fact that the Central Statistics Office figures relating to the live register have been published in national daily newspapers in advance of their official publication by the CSO; her views on whether this is acceptable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50827/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The value of the Live Register as an early indicator of unemployment trends is proven over the economic cycle. As an early indicator of a key metric of economic performance, it is important that the public and market analysts can have confidence in accuracy and independence of the Live Register data. I note that on occasion over the years some data, which form part of the monthly Live Register report from the Central Statistics Office, have been published in the media in advance of their official publication by the CSO. While the publication of these data does not invalidate or in any way undermine the value or integrity of the CSO official statistics, the Department takes all steps possible to prevent early release of these data.