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1,044 new dole claims so far
07.05.09
A RADICAL change of
government policy is needed if the spiralling
unemployment in Inishowen is to be halted, local
Fine Gael councillor Paul Bradley has claimed this
week. And Sinn Fein’s Padraig MacLochlainn, Daren
Lalor, Ciaran McGuinness and Sean Ruddy have
appealed to the government to implement their
party’s 80 proposals claiming the people of
Inishowen are facing “an economic disaster of
unprecedented proportions.” Figures released last
week showed that the number of people signing on the
Live Register in Inishowen reached 4,447 in April,
an increase of 168 over March. April’s increase,
reported by the Central Statistics Office on Friday,
means that 1,044 new claims have been made at the
Buncrana social welfare office in the first four
months of 2009. And there are now more than twice as
many people claiming the dole here than in April
2008, when the Live Register stood at 2,215. There
are now 3,111 men, and 1,336 women in receipt of
unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance in
Inishowen; 12 months ago, there were just 1,440 men
and 775 women on the dole.
Since 1 January this year, 716 new male applicants
and 328 female applicants have been added to the
Live Register here in Inishowen, an overall increase
of 31%. The combined increase for the rest of
Donegal over the same period stands at 17%.
Some 18,383 people signed on the Live Register in
Donegal, up from 10,279 in April 2008; 384,448
signed on across the State in April, up by almost
189,000 on 12 months previously. Fine Gael’s Paul
Bradley has said it is shocking to think that
unemployment in Buncrana has increased by over 100%
since last year.
“The unemployment rate will exceed the levels of the
1980s at this rate. Fianna Fail's economic strategy
is making matters worse. The report says that
Ireland is now suffering the biggest decline of any
economy since the 1930s. This is a fatal indictment
of this Governments economic incompetence. The Irish
economy is facing disaster on an unprecedented
scale,” he said. The Buncrana Town council candidate
said that it is time for new thinking and a
completely different set of economic principles. In
their joint statement meanwhile the local Sinn Féin
candidates said that weeks ago, their party had
submitted a detailed document to Government with 80
concrete proposals for jobs retention and jobs
creation, entitled, “Getting Ireland Back to Work.”
“Sadly, our Government has chosen to make the people
pay for the sins of the bankers and big developers
who created this disaster, rather than giving hope
to unemployed workers and small to medium
businesses,” they said.
They also said they would be calling on the people
of Inishowen to send a clear message to the
Government at the forthcoming local and European
elections by voting for change.
(Inishowen Independent) |
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