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Friday 22 September 2023 Dublin: 8°C

# Social Welfare

All time
# Profile
From poisoned chalice to top of the table, is Leo Varadkar now destined to be Taoiseach?
The Social Protection Minister could succeed Enda Kenny as leader of Fine Gael … and the country.
32.7k
100
Jun 2nd 2017, 9:10 PM
# carry the one
Leo's department said there was only one identity fraud case this year but there's actually been 11
Sinn Féin has called on the government to end this “dishonest welfare fraud campaign”.
22.6k
62
May 31st 2017, 2:35 PM
# Welfare Cheats
Most people support Leo Varadkar's welfare fraud campaign - poll
Former social welfare inspector Bernadette Gorman called Varadkar’s latest policy a “solo run” and “hate campaign”.
20.5k
72
May 31st 2017, 6:01 AM
# missing welfare payments
An Post agent who cheated pensioners out of their welfare with 'cock and bull story' avoids jail
Maureen Walsh had told welfare recipients that she didn’t have money at the time to pay them.
31.8k
34
May 18th 2017, 6:10 AM
# Social Welfare
Government apologises for backlog in maternity benefit payments
Leo Varadkar said online applications are processed ‘much quicker’ than paperwork.
10.7k
18
May 10th 2017, 8:59 AM
# name and shame
Every three months, the government will publish the names and addresses of welfare fraudsters
The provision is included in the Social Welfare Bill 2017, which was published today.
32.7k
138
May 9th 2017, 4:23 PM
# Welfare Cheats
Reports of suspected social welfare fraud double after launch of advertising campaign
Leo Varadkar’s department made €41 million in overpayments due to customer fraud in 2016.
14.8k
83
May 5th 2017, 6:05 AM
# Your Say
Poll: Would you report a social welfare cheat?
Leo Varadkar is launching a new ad campaign to encourage members of the public to report social welfare fraudsters.
37.9k
127
Apr 18th 2017, 7:05 AM
# Benefit Fraud
'Welfare cheats cheat us all': New campaign wants public to blow the whistle on welfare fraud
It’s estimated that last year suspected fraud overpayments of Jobseeker’s Allowance cost €14 million.
31.1k
75
Apr 18th 2017, 7:00 AM
# Computer Says No
Thousands of families to lose out on money for childcare as Revenue can't give data to government
Revenue is not yet in a position to share information with the relevant department.
29.0k
73
Apr 12th 2017, 4:52 PM
# shopping spree
'Any young girl on social welfare like me would have done what I did'
Single mother avoids jail after “massive spending spree” when bank accidentally deposited €51,000 into her account.
73.1k
155
Apr 4th 2017, 7:50 PM
# Ghost Estates
Investigation: What is Nama doing to help increase social housing supply?
The ‘bad bank’ has identified almost 7,000 properties that are potentially suitable for social housing, with demand being confirmed for over 2,700.
16.0k
25
Jan 30th 2017, 2:40 PM
# family visit
Ireland's maternity benefit now helps migrants who want to travel home
Mothers who want to leave the EU to travel home can now continue to get maternity leave – which wasn’t the case before now.
26.8k
31
Jan 30th 2017, 2:06 PM
# Looking for a home
'It's soul-destroying, like going for a job interview once a week and every time you don’t get it'
Three people who recently moved into a former Nama-owned property explain what having their own home means to them.
31.2k
29
Jan 30th 2017, 12:15 AM
# Social Welfare
Varadkar says lone parents can earn more under measure that kicks in today
Changes have been made to the One-Parent Family Payment and the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment.
25.9k
61
Jan 5th 2017, 4:54 PM
# Fraud
Jump in reports of people allegedly working and claiming social welfare
The Department of Social Protection received over 20,000 reports of welfare fraud from members of the public up to the end of November.
19.2k
58
Dec 22nd 2016, 4:51 PM
# Christmas Bonus
Social welfare Christmas bonus for 1.2 million people to be paid this week
This year’s bonus will be 85% of a welfare recipient’s weekly payment.
41.5k
155
Nov 28th 2016, 8:30 AM
# Social Welfare
'Utterly appalling': Anger expressed at waiting times for carer's allowance claims
More than 4,000 people are waiting for their applications to be processed, with an average wait time of 14 weeks.
10.3k
10
Nov 13th 2016, 7:10 AM
# Social Protection
Waiting times for social welfare payments vary from one week to 40 weeks
As of 30 September, the average waiting time to receive a carer’s allowance was about nine months.
49.0k
30
Nov 1st 2016, 6:00 AM
# extra money
Varadkar confirms details around this year's welfare Christmas bonus
Some 1.2 million people will receive the extra money.
27.5k
73
Oct 20th 2016, 9:49 PM
# young and broke
'There are lots of jobs available': Leo defends lower jobseekers' payments to young people
Young jobseekers will get an increase of €2.70 to their payment per week next year.
27.1k
83
Oct 11th 2016, 8:35 PM
# factcheck
FactCheck: Did the last government cut payments to lone parents?
FactCheck looks into a a controversial claim made by Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar on Morning Ireland yesterday.
25.5k
77
Sep 27th 2016, 7:07 PM
# Unemployment
Live Register: The number of people signing on has fallen below 300,000
The figures show that there are now 299,200 people officially signed on, compared with 340,700 from this time last year.
13.3k
70
Sep 1st 2016, 12:32 PM
# Your Say
Poll: Should social welfare payments be linked to inflation?
Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar raised the possibility of welfare payments increasing with inflation last week.
24.2k
151
Jul 24th 2016, 10:04 AM
# Terenure
Woman who fraudulently claimed €100,000 in sister's benefits caught out by her ringing phone
The court heard that the Dublin pensioner had been collecting the social welfare for 20 years.
64.9k
0
Jun 7th 2016, 8:00 PM
# Social Welfare
'Completely unacceptable': 21-week wait for carer's allowance claims to be processed
The Department of Social Protection said processing times vary for different payments, depending on the qualification criteria.
37.0k
36
May 22nd 2016, 8:30 AM
# Assaults
Social welfare office workers suffer punches and have chairs thrown at them
A union representing workers in Intreo offices said these employees need greater protection.
27.2k
83
Apr 23rd 2016, 3:46 PM
# fraud and error
Joan's department recovered €83m in social welfare overpayments last year
Nearly 360 fraud cases were submitted for prosecution in 2015.
21.2k
103
Apr 22nd 2016, 7:13 PM
Voices
'I never thought I would be unemployed aged 53. I feel I have to beg for social welfare'
An anonymous contributor writes about what it’s like to find yourself jobless with no money after working for over 33 years.
4.8k
111
Mar 28th 2016, 8:00 AM
# Cash Money
Fine Gael wants to increase the dole by €27*
*But the payment will be scaled back the longer a person is out of work.
26.8k
125
Feb 16th 2016, 2:38 PM
# sleeping rough
Landlord says barriers at social welfare building were not targeted at the homeless
The management company said it installed the railings in response to anti-social behaviour.
24.5k
58
Jan 28th 2016, 7:07 PM
# Unemployment
There has been another drop in the number of people on the live register
The number of people signing on in December was 34,496 fewer than in the same month in 2014.
14.5k
112
Jan 7th 2016, 1:24 PM
# Slabs of drink
David Norris says people on social welfare shouldn't be allowed to buy drink
The independent senator said alcohol had now become “a human right” in Ireland.
41.9k
310
Dec 11th 2015, 11:53 AM
Voices
How we could abolish all welfare and introduce a basic income for everyone
A basic income is a regular payment from the state, granted to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement. Here’s how it could be implemented in Ireland.
684
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Dec 5th 2015, 6:00 PM
# Bus Eireann
Six family members kicked off bus lose defamation claim
The court heard Jennifer Dardis had previous convictions for theft and having had possession of “some sort of weapon”.
5.6k
41
Dec 1st 2015, 8:42 AM
# Show Me The Money
Under 26 and on the dole? Labour has some good news for you - sort of
Young adults are currently paid a lower rate of jobseeker’s allowance.
34.6k
76
Nov 23rd 2015, 6:00 PM
# Didn't happen
Joan denies an unemployed man was told to apply for 200-300 jobs a week
The Tánaiste said it was deemed that the man was ‘not genuinely seeking work’.
21.7k
70
Nov 23rd 2015, 6:10 AM
# Big Willie's Style
Willie O'Dea told us about his radical plan to abolish all social welfare
The Fianna Fáil TD has proposed that a basic income replace all current state supports.
27.2k
66
Nov 18th 2015, 8:30 PM
# Radical idea
What if we abolished welfare and gave everyone a basic income?
Fianna Fáil wants to examine the idea if it’s in government after the next election.
42.7k
150
Oct 28th 2015, 5:23 PM
# Looking for Work
Educated, broke and fed up: how Ireland's unemployed are struggling to get by
Unemployment rates may be dropping, but significant barriers still exist for those seeking work in Ireland.
37.1k
88
Oct 18th 2015, 9:30 PM
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