Emigration by Household Breadwinners
Treacy highlighted families whose main breadwinners, including redundant construction workers and small farmers, had emigrated, and asked what the Government would do. The Taoiseach offered historical net-emigration figures rather than outlining a remedy.
Is the Taoiseach aware of the serious situation in which heads of households — the main breadwinner in several families — has had to emigrate in order to provide some kind of sustenance for their families——
Comment on this
It is certainly not the first time it has happened under a Coalition Government. Furthermore, is the Taoiseach aware that most of these people, heads of households, who have to emigrate are either redundant construction workers or small farmers? Can he give us any indication now of any plans he has to remedy this serious inhuman plight?
Comment on this
We have figures for earlier years. The average figures for the years 1967 to 1971 under Fianna Fáil, I think, were just over 45,000 per annum, net emigration, as against a birth rate of 60,000.
