Returning emigrants facing strict welfare conditions

Fine Gael's Michael Ring, who has hit out at government strategy on benefits

Irish emigrants who return home are nowadays often refused social welfare payments because of an overly strict interpretation of residency requirements, according to Fine Gael social protection spokesman Michael Ring. The Westport, Mayo TD was recently promoted to the Fine Gael front bench following leader Enda Kenny’s reshuffle.

Statistics obtained by Mr Ring via parliamentary questions show a large increase in the number of Irish people being refused access to payments such as the carer's allowance and jobseeker’s benefit over the past two years. The main reason provided is a failure to satisfy “habitual residency” requirements.

The stipulation was introduced in 2004 as the government opened the Irish labor market to workers from new EU states. Irish citizens refused social welfare payments for failing to satisfy the “habitual residency” rule totaled 738 in 2009, 985 in 2008, 373 in 2007 and 480 in 2006. The rule was initially introduced in order to protect the social welfare system from abuse by restricting access for those not economically active, or who had little connection with the country.

“Irish nationals, some of whom left as recently as 18 months ago, are feeling totally abandoned by the State because of what appears to be an increasingly strict interpretation of the habitual residence condition. This includes people returning to Ireland to care for sick or elderly loved ones, even though they are saving the State large sums of money by providing voluntary care,” Ring said.

“The dramatic increase in refusals seen in recent years raises serious questions about the treatment of the thousands of Irish people who have been forced to leave the country in the last few years, but who may wish to return to home to their families in the near future,” he continued, calling the rulings a “crude cost-saving measure”.

In a statement in response on Friday, the Department of Social Protection said that leniency for Irish nationals who do not satisfy the habitual residence condition would contradict Irish legislation on equality.

"It would…be contrary to EU law to exempt Irish nationals from the HRC and not exempt other EU Nationals on the same basis. However, Irish nationals returning to live in Ireland on a permanent basis should not experience difficulty in demonstrating that they satisfy the requirements of the habitual residence condition," it stated.