asked the Minister for Labour the number of unregistered unemployed estimated by his Department for 1 June 1977 and 1 June 1978.

: I take it that the Deputy is referring to the number of unemployed persons who are not included on the live register.

The main group involved is young people who are seeking their first regular employment. The latest information on these is from the 1975 EEC Labour Force Survey. That survey estimated that there were 19,900 young persons in that category.

The results of the subsequent labour force survey conducted in 1977 are not yet available.

While the live register is not exhaustive in its coverage of the unemployed it also includes groups of persons who are not, strictly speaking, available for full time employment. Despite these limitations it is the best regular indicator of unemployment available.

The problems of measuring unemployment are currently being examined by an inter-departmental study group, whose deliberations are now at an advanced stage.

: How does the figure of 19,900 tally with the figure of 50,000 used by the Minister and his colleagues before the last general election?

: The figure I gave for 1975 was 19,900. I presume that some basis of deduction was used to reach that figure.

: What is the basis for the Minister's presumption?

: One does not just take figures out of the air, for example.

: That appears to be what happened and what is still happening.

: The only thing that satisfies this side of the House is the indication on the live register that the numbers are going down. On 3 June 1977 it was 110,240 and on 2 June 1978 it was 101,450. That is nearly 9,000 of an improvement.

: That is really the intent of this question.

: No. 14.