Twenty-two people a day sign on in Cavan and Monaghan in June

Live Register figures for June reveal that over 22 people a day signed on in Cavan Monaghan - a statistic which a local Sinn Féin Senator claims highlights the ineffectiveness of the government's jobs policy.
Senator Kathryn Reilly said: “In June, over 22 people a day signed onto the Live Register in Cavan and Monaghan. In Cavan, there were 282 new signatories and in Monaghan there were 399.
“The fact is that the unemployment rate has not reduced by even 1% since this government came to power, despite record emigration levels. It is clear that the policies of this government are undermining the domestic economy and stunting economic growth.

Disturbing 
“These figures, coupled with other CSO data which show the economy contracting in the first three months of the year, reveal a disturbing trend of decreasing personal consumption, declining exports and in some areas increases in those signing on. The reliance on export led growth at a time when our major export partners have slowed down is and always was dangerous, which is why Sinn Fein called for a domestic stimulus to give the economy a lift.
 
“Hardly a family in the area, and indeed the State, remains untouched by the everyday realities of underemployment and emigration. Full time employment is being replaced by part-time employment amongst whole swathes of Irish society leading to underemployment, poverty and as we have seen from the figures- a return to recession.
“The government needs to stimulate the economy to grow, to support investment in business and help get people back to work.”