€1.6bn to fund jobs programme

The Government is to spend €1.6bn next year to provide 300,000 additional work and training places under its Pathways to Work strategy.

Pathways to Work was first introduced in 2012 with the aim of ensuring as many newly created jobs as possible go to people on the Live Register.

Brendan Howlin, the public expenditure minister, said unemployment was falling faster than almost anywhere else in the EU. It stands at just over 11% — down from 15.1% in early 2012. “We expect it to fall to 10.2% in 2015,” said Mr Howlin. “This is still too high but the employment support measures we have introduced are paying dividends.”