Core social welfare rates will be maintained in the budget, the social protection minister has said.

The number of people in Ireland who are 'long term unemployed' has reached 200,000 for the first time.

A controversial report has highlighted the costs associated with working as a disincentive to join the labour force.

There was mixed reaction to the Government’s long-awaited action plan on jobs, with groups welcoming proposals but claiming they were not backed up by funds.

MICHAEL NOONAN is facing a political “foot in mouth” storm after claiming that “lifestyle choices” were behind Ireland’s emigration crisis.

DRACONIAN health charges being considered by the Government will cost lives, a prominent patient advocate has warned.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) is calling on the Government not to cut social welfare any further in December's budget.

IRELAND’S emigration rate has soared by 45% according to the latest statistics, with an estimated 1,500 people leaving the country every week.

THE scale of Ireland’s unemployment problem was set out in stark terms in a new international report detailing global concerns over rising joblessness.

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has warned that some people face cuts in their welfare payments if they persist in not engaging with re-training and work.

THERE was a mixed reaction to the jobs initiative from the unemployed, unions, social justice groups and opposition politicians.

Social groups are today digesting the details of Budget 2011.

Social groups are slamming the measures contained in Budget 2011.

MINISTER for Social Protection Éamon Ó Cuív last night accused welfare campaigners of “scare tactics”, at the same time as the Government was accused of the same charge over its plans to force people on benefits onto work incentive schemes.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed will form a symbolic dole queue outside the Dáil later.

Unemployment is the major crisis affecting the country and needs to be addressed as such, the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) said today.

A NATIONAL protest campaign intent on reversing Government plans to cut child benefit is to be waged in the build up to December’s budget.

ALL social welfare payments should be slashed by 5% as part of swingeing cuts aimed at saving €1.8 billion across social and family affairs payments.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed says the provision of training and education must be a priority for people finding themselves out of work due to the recession.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed is today predicting that unemployment will exceed the 7% mark.

A CAMPAIGN group for the unemployed has criticised the crackdown on electronic dole payments as “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut” and contrary to recent government policy.

THE country’s main support organisation for the unemployed yesterday cast doubts on EU figures suggesting Ireland has the lowest level of unemployment for young people in the eurozone.

IRELAND’S female unemployment rate is now the lowest of all the 25 European Union states, a new statistical study shows.

Action must be taken to curb the rising levels of unemployment among young people, it was warned today.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed has expressed concerned at the growing level of joblessness among young men.

The Government must stick to its target of eliminating long unemployment by 2007, it was claimed tonight.

The Government has been urged to demonstrate its commitment to social partnership by implementing all outstanding aspects of the Sustaining Progress agreement.

THE number of people receiving unemployment benefit and assistance has fallen by nearly 9,000 in the last 12 months, it emerged yesterday.

THE number of people employed rose by a record 72,400 in the past year - and more than half of these were women, according to the Central Statistics Office.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed has said the increase in the Live Register announced today disproves claims that Ireland has full employment.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed has expressed concern about an increase in long-term unemployment announced by the Central Statistics Office today.

Training programmes are the key to encouraging lifelong employment within our society, according to the Minister for Enterprise and Employment Micheál Martin.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) has claimed that the long-term unemployed are not gaining from the Sustaining Progress agreement.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed has warned the Government that it is not worthwhile for some unemployed people to seek work.

The Central Statistics Office has reported a slight increase in the number of people on the Live Register in Ireland last month.

The Central Statistics Office has reported a 2.5% decrease in the number of people on the live register last month.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed has called on EU leaders meeting in Brussels today to live up to their commitment to boost job creation.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed has called on the Government to provide more job opportunities in rural areas and to do more to retain existing jobs in these areas.

BUDGET increases for those on social welfare were not enough to help those on the verge of poverty, Labour’s Willie Penrose said last night.

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed has called on Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy to increase weekly social welfare payments to €150 in this year’s budget.

The number of people signing on in Ireland fell by 4,835 to 166,105 last month, according to figures released today by the Central Statistics Office.

THE jobs announced yesterday for a pharmaceutical plant in north county Dublin provide little comfort for the 250 workers made redundant in the area last week, the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) said.

THE Government has been accused of being over reliant on foreign companies yesterday as the numbers out of work hit a three-year high in April.

THE revelation that TDs are paid over €500 for each day the Dáil sits provoked calls yesterday from organisations representing the unemployed that politicians should spend more time there.