Trim sees biggest jump in numbers signing on

The latest live register figures for Meath show that 527 people joined the county's dole queues in January, an increase of 4.76 per cent on last month's figures. There are now 11,598 people signing on in Meath - 7,570 men and 4,028 women - representing an increase of 3,379 people, or 41 per cent, on January 2009. This is well above the national average annual increase of 33.9 per cent. There are now 436,936 people on the live register in the country. The average national monthly increase for January was 3.1 per cent and Meath's figures were again above average for January with an increase of 4.76 per cent. In January, Trim saw the greatest percentage increase in the numbers signing on in the county, with 272 people joining the register to bring it to 3,376 - an increase of 7.85 per cent on December's figures. Some 179 people joined the register in Navan in January, an increase of 3.1 per cent, bringing the numbers signing on in the town to 5,926. In Kells, there are now 1,936 claiming benefits, an increase of 76 people, or 4.09 per cent on the previous month. Navan Labour Town Councillor Anton McCabe has said the significant increase of over 13,000 in the live register figures for January casts serious doubts on Fianna Fail claims that we are over the worst of the downturn. He said: "There is absolutely no indication whatsoever that the Government has any plan to get out us of this grim situation." Cllr McCabe said what is particularly disturbing is the fact that so many young people are out of work, with one-third of the labour force between the age of 20 and 24 now unemployed. "Unlike Fianna Fail and the Greens, Labour actually has a strategy which will create jobs and will create sustainable economic activity. We believe that we need a new National Development Plan which will provide funding for shovel-ready projects in areas like health, education and transport. Our enterprise agencies should be properly funded so that they can support growth in jobs in the knowledge economy. More places in training and education should be made available," he said. Cllr McCabe said that, in its pre-budget statement, Labour proposed the creation of a special €1.15bn fund to get people back to work that would deliver enterprise supports, including a PRSI scheme for new jobs, an additional 60,000 training and work experience places and the fast-tracking of labour-intensive capital projects. "There is no silver bullet to solve this dreadful problem, but we do need a plan and this Government simply does not have one," added Cllr McCabe.