Limerick\u2019s status as a national unemployment black spot is an indictment of the failed social and economic policies of the current government and senior Ministers, the Social Democrat\u2019s Limerick representative Sarah Jane Hennelly said today.<\/p>\n
Ms Hennelly was commenting on Census figures published this week which\u00a0show that eight of the top ten \u2018unemployment black spots\u2019 in the country were in Limerick City and County.<\/p>\n
The average unemployment rate in 18 electoral districts in Limerick City and County was 35.7 per cent. This compares with a national unemployment rate of around 9 per cent when the Census was taken in April 2016.<\/p>\n
Ms Hennelly, who is the party\u2019s national chairperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThese figures are an indictment of the failed policies of the current government which has had a senior Minister from Limerick. Some of the most powerful national politicians in the country are from this city and ought to be representing its best interests as well as the interests of the country, at the cabinet table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis week has seen more good-news stories about Limerick than usual in the papers \u2013 high foreign direct investment, over 2,000 jobs created, Limerick now the poster child of the recovery. Some of us might feel this upturn, but definitely not all of us. And this isn\u2019t new to Limerick \u2013 we have ongoing persistent issues with unemployment. But results like this tell a different story. Any decent politician with the best interests of the city would tackle this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Hennelly added: \u201cSince the introduction of the austerity programme, our level of capital investment (investment in infrastructure) has decreased significantly. Since this so-called up-turn, we have seen no real increase in investment, we are way behind when compared to other EU countries. Long-term and generational unemployment, coupled with poor planning in social housing, is partly down to why we\u2019re in this situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are plenty of solutions to this problem, but the core principle is this \u2013 if we invest in our country, in health, in education, in housing, in childcare and in care for the elderly, we all benefit, and it gives us all the same chance at life.\u201d<\/p>\n
ENDS<\/p>\n
16 June 2017<\/p>\n
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Limerick\u2019s status as a national unemployment black spot is an indictment of the failed social and economic policies of the current government and senior Ministers, the Social Democrat\u2019s Limerick representative Sarah Jane Hennelly said today. Ms Hennelly was commenting on Census figures published this week which\u00a0show that eight of the top ten \u2018unemployment black spots\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n