Adams expresses concern at growing crime figures in Louth

Gerry Adams

Local TD Gerry Adams has expressed deep concern at the latest crime figures in the wake of two brutal attacks in Louth.

According to the latest CSO recorded crime figures published, the number of assaults, thefts and burglaries has risen over the past year.

The Sinn Féin president said: “In light of the recent shocking killing of Martin Mulligan near Dundalk and the brutal stabbing of a pharmacy employee in Drogheda, the latest crime figures are very worrying. CSO figures show an increase of assaults of 10.4%, burglaries rising by 8.4%, and theft rising by 1.8%.

“There has been a continuous cutting back of vital resources that the Gardaí require to do their job. I recently called on the Minister for Justice to increase Garda numbers which have fallen over the last five years.

“Recent parliamentary questions to the Minister show that a town as large as Drogheda has only five community Gardaí. There is a direct correlation between these figures and the closure of rural Garda stations and lack of investment in Garda resources.

“Communities right across the country are paying the price for Government policy. The Government must increase investment in Garda personnel and resources to deal with the erosion of public confidence in the Garda’s ability to tackle serious crime.”

Live Register figures in Dundalk fall for the first time in five months

Live Register figures for Dundalk fell for the first time in five months in August.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that there were 6,255 people signed on in Dundalk in August, down by 1.4% on the 6,341 who were claiming dole payments in July. This was still 6.4% higher though than in March when there were 5,881 on the register.

On a county level there were 14,611 people signing on last month. This was also the first fall in five months, down 1.2% from June. There were also falls recorded in both Ardee (1.7%) and Drogheda (0.8%).

Number claiming dole payments in Dundalk falls for first time in four months in August

The Live Register figures for Dundalk fell for the first time since March last month.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that there were 6,255 people signed on in Dundalk last month, a fall of 1.4% from the 6,341 who were caliming dole payments in July.

This is the first fall after four consecutive months of increases but the numbers on the Live Register in the town are still 6.4% higher than they were in March when just 5,881 were on the register.

On a county level there were 14,611 people signing on last month, also the first fall since March and down by 1.2%.

There was also falls recorded in Ardee (-1.7%) and Drogheda (-0.8%).

Louth has one of the highest birth rates out of wedlock

Louth has one of the highest birth rates in the country for unmarried couples.

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show there were 440 children born in the Wee County between January and March 2015.

Of that figure 254 of the children were born by those either married or in civil partnerships, a total of 57.7 per cent.

That meant that the remaining 186 children born in the first quarter of the year were conceived by parents not married or in a civil partnership – a total of 42.3%.

Only Carlow, Dublin City, Longford, Offaly, Wexford, Cork City, Limerick City and Waterford City amd County had higher tallies.

Of the 186 children born out of wedlock, 103 were born to parents at the same address.

There were two infant mortalities in the county in the first quarter of the year and one neonatal mortality.

Live Register figures rise for a fourth straight month in Dundalk

Live Register figures for Dundalk grew for the fourth straight month in July.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that there were 6,341 people signed on in Dundalk last month, up 7.8% from March and by 2.14% on the 6,208 who were claiming dole payments in June.

On a county level there were 14,781 people signing on last month. This was also the fourth straight month of rises, with the figure up 2.03% on June. There were also increases recorded in both Ardee (-2.94%) and Drogheda (-1.69%).

These figures bucked the national trend with 2,100 people less signing on in June.

Live Register figures up 0.3% in Dundalk despite national decline

Live Register figures for Dundalk grew slightly last month despite unemployment at a national level falling below the 10% mark for the first time since early 2009.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that there were 5,900 people signed on in Dundalk last month, an increase on the 5,881 who were on the register in March – a rise of 0.3%.

This is the first increase recorded in the Live Register figures in Dundalk since January.

On a county level there were 13,844 people signing on last month, down by 0.6% from the 13,924 a month earlier. There were also declines recorded in both Ardee (-1.4%) and Drogheda (-1.2%).

Despite the narrow rise last month, unemployment levels in Dundalk are at their lowest level in six years since April 2009 when 5,871 people were on the Live Register.

Louth has the second lowest registration rate for water charges in the country

Louth has the second lowest registration rate for water charges, according to new figures published in today’s Irish Examiner.

The figures reveal that just 28,814 of the 44,043 eligible households, or 65%, have registered to date.

That was on a par with Dublin, with only Leitrim (57%) having a lower rate of sign-ups.

The figures were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from Irish Water and show the numbers registered across the 26 counties as of February 23^rd.

Estimates on the percentage registered in each county were compiled comparing the Irish Water figures with the 2011 census data on private households from the CSO. The actual number of dwellings in each county is likely to be more.

Kirk calls for extra Garda resources following rise in number of local burglaries

Seamus Kirk TD

Local Fianna Fáil TD Seamus Kirk has called for extra Garda resources following increases in a number of serious crimes in the county.

The latest CSO crime figures reveal substantial rises in burglary-related offences in the first three months of the year.

Commenting on the matter, Deputy Kirk said: “A number of organisations have contacted me in recent weeks expressing concern about a spate of robberies in rural areas. The figures from the CSO appear to back up the belief that crime in the area is on the rise.  Between January and March this year there were 75 assaults in the Louth Garda Division.  There were also 287 burglaries and 478 theft offences committed during that time.  All of these offences are significantly higher than for the same period in 2013.

“Many communities across the county are living in fear, particularly those living in isolated and rural areas. They have seen their local Gardaí deployed elsewhere and are concerned about crime sprees in their areas. People living alone are particularly anxious and are worried about being targeted by criminals.

“Garda resources in Louth have been severely depleted by this Government. Officers are going above and beyond the call of duty and carrying out their work in extremely constrained conditions.  Technology, equipment and Garda vehicles are all in urgent need of upgrading.  It is no coincidence that there has been an increase in crime at a time when the force is stretched to the limit. It is little wonder that Garda morale is on the floor, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed swiftly.

“We need to maintain a strong Garda presence in border areas, yet the Minister has not sanctioned any additional resources for the region.  In fact, the recruitment of new Gardaí has been deferred once again.  The Minister cannot afford to neglect falling Garda numbers any longer.  It is imperative that we have a robust frontline force, which is visible and active in the community and I would urge her to address the resources and staffing issue without delay.”

Disposable income in Louth below the national average

Residents of County Louth have below the national average when it comes to disposable income, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The ‘CSO county incomes & regional GDP study – disposable income 2011’ found that the average person in the Wee County has disposable income of €18,095.

That was 13^th in the list of the 27 local authority areas surveyed and just below the state average of €18,817.

Dubliners had the highest disposable income of €21,329, with Donegal residents having the lowest at €15,897.

The border area, which Louth is a part of, was found to be the poorest region in the country with typical disposable incomes 12.2% below the mean at €16,984.

Neighbouring Monaghan had the second lowest disposable income in the country at €16,261.

The CSO defines disposable income as primary income (which includes wages, self-employed earnings, rental income, net interest and dividends earned) plus social benefits and transfers less taxes and social insurance contributions.

Dublin, Kildare, Limerick and Cork were the only counties to have disposable incomes above the state average in 2011.

Live Register figures for Dundalk fall for first time this year in March

The number of people claiming social welfare payments in Dundalk fell for the first time this year in March, according to the latest data from the Central Statistics Office.

The Live Register figures for the area shows there were 6,635 people signing on in the area last month, down 1.7% from the 6,752 in the previous month.

There had been five consecutive months of falling figures at the back end of last year but increases of 1.9% and 0.3% were recorded in January and February respectively at the start of 2014.

Despite this the current figures still mean the number of people signing on is at its lowest since November 2010 when 6,449 claiming dole in the town.

The overall figure for Louth also fell by 1.6% in March from 15,736 to 15,485.