THE number of people out of work has risen sharply again, with official figures showing another 3,090 people signing on the live register in April. Government policy came under sharp criticism from Opposition parties and the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed after the figures were published.

When adjusted for seasonal factors, the latest official figures show the total number of jobless rose to 281,800, reversing a drop of 3,000 to 278,000 in March. Over the 12 months to the end of April, the Central Statistics Offices shows the number of people out of work increased by 5,400.

A Government spokesman said the disappointing figures for April may reflect, to some extent, lay offs in the beef industry last, month, following the BSE crisis in Britain.

Stressing that it did not accept that the live register was an accurate measure of unemployment, he added that the Government was "confident" that continued strong economic growth would make a "positive impact" on unemployment this year.

The Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Bruton, said the rising trend in unemployment showed that Government policies would have to be addressed coherently.

Progressive Democrat leader Ms Mary Harney, said the figures were a "further indictment" of the Coalition's performance on unemployment. In a statement yesterday, Ms Harney said the live register figures showed that, in its 17 months in office the Government had failed to reduce the number of jobless and called for radical measures to increase employment.

Fianna Fail spokesman on agriculture, Mr Brian Cowen, said the very disappointing rise in the live register could not be attributed to the beef industry. The Government he said was useing the BSE crisis in Britain as a "fig leaf" for its failure on employment policies.

However, the Irish Meat Industries Association of IBEC said the figures confirmed the scale of the crisis facing the beef industry because of the BSE "difficulties" and called for concerted Government action to "protect this vital national industry".

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) said the figures confirmed that the benefits of economic growth were not reaching the unemployed. "This is further evidence that the unemployed must be given a rightful place in the future planning of the Irish economy," INOU general secretary, Mr Mike Allen, said.