“After dipping slightly towards the back end of 2009, unemployment is on the march again in Blanchardstown. 73 people joined the Blanchardstown dole queue in January to reach a total of 8,353, up from 6,680 a year earlier and from 3,401 in May 2001.

“4,952 people have joined the local dole since May 2007, or 155 for every month since Fianna Fáil were re-elected on their record for supposed economic competence. The truth is that this Fianna Fáil government has no clue how to get Ireland moving again. They have no jobs strategy and no vision that goes beyond slash-and-burn budget cuts that target those most in need.

“The human face behind these statistics is a shocking sight to behold. People who have worked all their lives to provide for their families suddenly find themselves unable to cope, struggling to pay the bills and keep a roof over their heads. The Fianna Fáil government seems more concerned about pleasing international investors than supporting Irish families.

“1 in 5 people on the dole are under the age of 25, including a staggering 1 in 3 young men. These are the most educated generation of young people that Ireland has ever produced, but all this talent is being allowed to go to waste.

“More and more often, we are seeing our best and brightest choosing the well trodden path of emigration which most of us can remember all too well but thought had been consigned to history. Opening up the safety valve of emigration, with up to 100,000 expected to leave this year alone, seems to be official government policy, but this just isn’t good enough.

“The Labour Party has proposed a series of back-to-work and further-education initiatives to tackle the jobs crisis but these have largely been ignored. In Labour’s own pre-budget programme, we proposed the establishment of a 1.15bn ‘jobs fund’ which would be dedicated to getting Ireland back working while still achieving the budget targets set out by government.

“The truth is that the chasm in the public finances will only be closed if we can get the country back working. Unemployment must be public enemy number one, but the government seems to be completely out of touch with the facts on the ground. Unemployment is not just a statistic; it is a human tale of personal struggle and social devastation right across the country.”