asked the Taoiseach if he will give the population and the number of unemployed people as of (a) 1 January 1983, (b) 1 January 1984, and (c) 1 January 1985, in Athenry, Ballinasloe, Loughrea, Portumna and Tuam, County Galway.

, Dún Laoghaire): I propose to circulate a statement giving the information requested in so far as it is available.

Following is the statement:

Table 1: Total Population in April 1981

*Town with a legally defined boundary; corresponding population is that within this boundary.

Source: Census of Population 1981.

Table 2: Number of Persons on the live register residing in towns with legally defined boundaries

Source: Special analysis of the live register by area of residence within each county carried out quarterly in February, May, August and November. Only persons residing in towns with legally defined boundaries are distinguished.

This is very disappointing. There is no point putting down a question——

Has the Deputy a question?

If we cannot elicit the necessary information and be in a position to make some comment and give some direction to the Taoiseach and the Government vis-à-vis the serious unemployment situation in our constituency. I regret the figures are not available now——

(Dún Laoghaire): The figures are available in tabular form. The second part of the Deputy's question has been transferred to the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commence and Tourism so that the points he wished to make could be taken up. I gave the statistics requested by the Deputy.

I would ask the Minister of State to bring to the attention of the Government the serious plight of the unemployed in my constituency and to ask him to have the Government put sufficient pressure on the IDA to declare the east Galway region a very serious black area as regards unemployment.

2.

asked the Taoiseach the number of unemployed persons on the live register for the following towns in County Cork: Kinsale, Bandon, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Skibbereen, Bantry and Castletownbere on 1 February 1983, 1 February 1984, and 1 February 1985.

(Dún Laoghaire): I propose to circulate a tabular statement showing the information requested by the Deputy.

Following is the statement:

The number of persons on the live register at certain local employment offices in County Cork on 28 January 1983, 27 January 1984 and 25 January 1985 is shown in the following table.