Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he is confident that the unemployment rate will have dipped below 10 per cent by the time the next general election takes place in the Spring of 2016.

Mr Kenny was speaking at the launch of the latest progress report on the Action Plan for Jobs 2103 which showed that 84 per cent of the 122 measures promised by Government for the third quarter this year have been completed.

Mr Kenny said the continuing implementation of the plan in addition to the latest unemployment figures showed the Government was achieving its aim.

“We have a long way to travel but we are moving in the right direction,” he said.

Mr Kenny contrasted the situation at the time the Government took office, where he said that 7,000 jobs were being lost every month, with today’s figures which showed that 1,200 new jobs a week have been created over the past 12 months and the unemployment rate has fallen to 12.6 per cent.

He said the Government would continue with a new plan in 2014. He and the Tánaiste insisted that the plan would achieve its aim of creating 100,000 new and additional cards by 2016.

“It’s the start of a relentless pursuit to create jobs. The action plan is important as all the pieces of the jigsaw fit together,” he said.

Mr Gilmore said that the Government had made it clear that the action plan was not a paper exercise.

“We are creating over 1,000 jobs a week which is a good outcome,” said Mr Gilmore which said it was a sign of joined-up government.

Many of the actions in the report revolve around plans and reports, or the commissioning of task reports. Some of those which have been delayed or not completed have been the biggest ones, including delayed legislation. One of the key ones has been the Bill which will merge the National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority, which is now promised for publication by the end of the year.