ASYLUM SEEKERS WHO have incomes should be asked to financially contribute towards State accommodation and services provided to them, the Taoiseach has said.
The Journal reported yesterday that the government will soon consider changes to the supports offered to asylum seekers that are working.
International protection applicants can seek permission to work if their application has not been processed for five months, with the permit being valid after six months.
Speaking this morning, Simon Harris said the Government has not made a decision on the matter, but added: “I believe they should have to – if you’re earning an income.”
“There’s people in this country who come here and seek international protection who do have a right to work – and by the way, we’re very pleased they do work and I thank them for the contribution they make to the Irish economy.
“I do think it’s fair, though, that if you’re working and earning an income that you make some contribution towards the services the State is providing.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme, he said: “Government needs to make a decision on this as a collective, we have had a number of reviews and works being done.
“We’ve taken a number of decisions in recent weeks and months to try and make sure our immigration system is fair.
“Irish people, I think, want two things when it comes to migration: compassion and common sense.
“And I think we need to look at this through that lens, and I hope we can make a decision on this within a few short weeks.”
Speaking to reporters this morning on the second day of the Fine Gael parliamentary party think-in, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys said a memo on the proposal will be brought to Cabinet shortly by Minister Roderic O’Gorman
“It’s about making the contribution towards your rent, and I think it’s fair. I think when people are working that they should be making that contribution,” she said.
Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said he believes it is “a very sensible approach”, stating that if asylum seekers are being paid for work, then the support they get from the state should reflect that and be adjusted accordingly.
“I think that it’s a very reasonable approach. We have an economy that is at full employment,” he added, stating that as “they look at Ireland being their home for longer, it is appropriate, therefore that the state support we gave them when they were in an emergency, is changed to reflect that”.
He said the government will be considering the issue in the weeks ahead, stating that details such as assessing their income, what their job is, and the work that they are doing, will all have to be factors that are considered.
“We continue to be a compassionate country. We want to help those who have the least, but as people make Ireland their home, and I want to see them make Ireland their home, we need to see that as they get a job, as they’re able to stand on their own two feet, that the support they get reflects that,” Donohoe said.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say