Statement by Progressive Democrats candidate in Kildare North, Councillor Kate Walsh
There has been a huge drop in unemployment in County Kildare in the last five years.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office show a dramatic reduction in the number of people on the Live Register. The number of people signing on is 43% lower than it was when the present government took office in June 1997.
Even more dramatic has been the fall in youth unemployment. The number of under-25s on the Live Register in County Kildare has fallen by 54% since June 1997. In fact there are now fewer than 800 young people classified as unemployed in the county. It's not so long ago since that figure was measured not in hundreds but in thousands.
We now have a generation of young people who can face the future with real confidence. They can look forward to pursuing good careers without having to leave their country or even their county. That we achieved this is partly due to sound government policies that have brought great prosperity to this country; but it is due also to the great efforts and hard work of the people of Kildare themselves who have worked hard to make this county a better place.
We have many problems still to solve here in Kildare but we should all celebrate the fact that we are winning the war unemployment and that we have put an end to emigration as the only career choice available to our young people.