Refusal of Welfare to returning emigrants is despicable – Kelly

Contact Anthony if you have experienced
problems with your welfare
ph: 087-1361785

Cllr Anthony Kelly has slammed the government for turning its back on returning emigrants following fresh evidence of a crackdown on their claims for social welfare.  The Sinn Féin general election candidate in County Wexford was responding to a report issued by migrant advice group, Crosscare, which stated that a growing number of returning emigrants were being refused welfare, often on spurious grounds related to the recession.

“Once again the government are treating Irish citizens like dirt,” Cllr Kelly said.  “This report says that Irish citizens were refused social welfare entitlements on the grounds that they had reduced their chances of getting a job by returning to Ireland.  It’s outrageous.   If this is allowed to continue, then our young Wexford emigrants who are working abroad on visa’s will be denied welfare when they get home.  I won’t stand for that and Sinn Féin will fight this.  I am urging anyone living in County Wexford who experienced this to contact me immediately.”

Department of Social Protection figures show 1,723 Irish nationals were refused welfare payments because they did not satisfy “habitual residency rules” in 2008 and 2009, compared to 853 in the previous two-year period.  These figures do not include details on the number of people refused supplementary welfare allowance – emergency payments handled by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE does not collect these statistics.