asked the Taoiseach if he will give the latest available figure for unemployment in the building and construction industry according to the industrial analysis of the live register, with the figure for the corresponding period one year earlier; and the figure for mid-July 1977.

The latest available date for which the industrial analysis of the live register is available is 17 February 1978.

The total number of persons on the live register in the building, contracting and works of construction industry on 17 February 1978 was 24,325. The total for the same industrial category on 18 February 1977 was 25,901 while the corresponding figure on 15 July 1977 was 23,993.

Does the Minister accept that those figures disclose that the unemployment situation in the building and construction industry in the seven months after his Government took up office worsened by 332 jobs?

I do not accept that. The Deputy insists continually in this House on refusing to compare like with like.

I accept that there was a year-on-year improvement of 1,500 jobs during the first half of which time another Government were in office, but the improvement since the change of Government is non-existent.

That is an arbitrary date.

There was a disimprovement to the extent of 332 jobs. Of course like must be compared with like, but we have been showered with statements from the Government to the effect that they have created 3,500 jobs in this sector since they returned to office. I cannot find those jobs; but I can find that there are 332 fewer jobs than was the case before they returned to office.

That is a stunt.

Where are the jobs the Government have created?

It is quite clear that there were 1,600 fewer people unemployed in mid-February this year by comparison with mid-February of last year.

That is comparing like with like.

The Deputy's bluff has been called.

I would ask the Deputy to wait until mid-July to see the significant improvement.

In the last six months of 1977 and in the first six weeks of 1978 the figures for unemployment in the sector we are speaking about were 332 worse than at the beginning of the period. That is a period in which the Government are claiming an improvement of 3,500 jobs. Where are they?

The Deputy should ask Deputy FitzGerald about statistics.

You are a fraud squad.

Order, please.

As my name has been taken in vain by the other side of the House, may I ask the Minister who is replying to the question if 3,500 more jobs have been created by Fianna Fáil how is it that there is a reduction of only 1,600 in unemployment? The Minister gave a figure of a 1,600 reduction year-on-year. What has happened to the other 2,100 jobs the Government say they have created?

The situation is that in regard to this category the live register shows an improvement of approximately 1,600 over that similar period.

What about the 3,500 jobs the Government have claimed they have created?

That is February with February.

With respect to Deputy FitzGerald, it is since July 1977 that the Government have claimed they have created the 3,500 jobs—not since February.

That is like with like.

You are a fraud squad.

Order. The Chair would like to point out that statistical questions are not a subject for debate in the House.

Surely it is in order to quote figures that have been issued officially.

When a statistical question is put down it is not in order to raise every matter mentioned.

Should we not send for the Special Branch to inquire into the fraud squad over there?

May I ask the Chair if it is in order to have a chorus of interruptions and howls from Fianna Fáil Ministers?

It is not in order to have a chorus of interruptions or howls from any side of the House. I am calling Question No. 2.