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LAST UPDATE | 29 Jul 2020
THE DEPARTMENT OF Social Protection has said it has identified 85 cases where people had their Pandemic Unemployment Payment stopped (PUP) but may be entitled to it.
The department has said it will be contacting the individuals in question over the coming days.
The development comes after Minister Heather Humphreys said earlier today that people on the PUP or Jobseeker’s assistance can travel to countries on the Green List without losing their payments.
Humphreys told the Dáil today that her department could “have communicated more effectively” on the matter in recent days.
She said the vast majority (90%) of the 2,500 people who’ve had their payment stopped due to travel abroad were leaving the country permanently.
The minister said that some travelling abroad may have been unaware of the new criteria, and that her department was to review all cases where holidaymakers travelling abroad had their payment stripped.
In a statement this evening, the department said it had completed the review of those 2,500 cases:
This review has identified some 85 cases that have the potential to be entitled to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment for a holiday period. The department will be contacting the 85 individuals directly in the coming days to verify these cases.
Humphreys confirmed today that regulations will be signed to allow recipients of the PUP to travel to Green List countries.
These are the countries designated by the government where people can travel to and from without the advice to quarantine for 14 days afterwards.
For non-Green List countries, those in receipt of PUP or Jobseeker’s will be permitted to travel to them for essential reasons, but they must notify their local welfare office first.
The countries on the Green List are Malta, Finland, Norway, Italy, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Slovakia, Greece, Greenland, Gibraltar, Monaco and San Marino.
The affair has proven to be yet another headache for the new government, with the move to remove the PUP for those travelling abroad heavily criticised in recent days.
Since 7 July, 104 cases of the PUP have been stopped after people in receipt of the payment were found to have travelled abroad for non-essential reasons.
Yesterday, the Free Legal Advice Centre (Flac) said there was no legal basis to remove or suspend PUP for those who holiday abroad.
Its chief executive Eilis Barry said: “While legislation may allow for this suspension in relation to Jobseekers Benefit, it does not go so far as to allow the Department sweeping powers to suspend or close other payments that people may receive – including Covid PUP.”
Minister Humphreys, however, did add today that her officials had advised her that “there was no provision to receive a payment while out of the country under any circumstances”.
With reporting from Christina Finn and Rónán Duffy
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From crisis to catastrophe
@Dara O’Brien: do they really want to encourage people to travel ? Let’s all go to Spain ?!!
@Pat Kelly: no, they don’t want you to travel but if you are, the green list shows the safest places from a Covid perspective.
It’s not difficult.
@Pat Kelly: no but you dont have to quarantine if coming back from a green country. however if you go to a country and have to quarantine on return you should have your payements stopped as your unavailable for work.
on the news they said the payements were stopped for people who were emigrating or leaving for an extended period and rightly so .
usual left wing crowd creating a storm in a teacup
They were wrong to treat people in receipt of social welfare parents like this in the first place. It’s about time they u-turned on it. It’s the right thing to do. But my god this coalition is disgustingly bad.
@ed w: it usually takes a lot longer to get a job than two weeks.
@ed w: People receiving PUP’s are available to work, it is just that their places of work are closed due to Government lock-down in the aftermath of Covid-19.
@Dara O’Brien: This show is the best comedy I’ve seen in years
@Jack Cass: This is the problem with rushed legislation. I totally get the fact that the government want to catch people who are emigrating permanently and trying to hold onto the payment. I also get the fact that this money is being paid to keep the economy going and it’s against the spirit of it to take that money and spend it in another country.
That said, making snap decisions without paying attention to the rules that need to be followed in order for changes to be lawful amounts to unenforceable decisions and bad outcomes for those who are genuine in receipt.
Shambles of a government- made up of teachers and others who have no legislative experience.
@Dara O’Brien: If she had any honour she would resign.
@Billy McNamara: If she had any honour she wouldn’t be in politics.
@Dara O’Brien: Very true, the only qualification you need to govern is getting votes, it has nothing to do with experience or expertise, these clowns have hired numerous expert consultants at the taxpayers expense and still they are making a mockery of our parliament. Four weeks in power and its been one mess after another. Heads should roll.
@Pat Kelly: No problems in The Canaries quite safe to travel there if anything safer than here! As for safe list you have to fly into Nice to go to Monaco and into Spain to go to Gibraltar . Thats a bit Irish
@Seán O’Loughlin: pure greed just to sit at the top table election on the way. A lot of voters will change their votes this will not be forgotten.
@Fozz: which is it ? ” they dont want you to travel… ” but ?.. 2 weeks ago it was essential travel only !
@Pat Kelly: Only if you are rich and support FG. No questions or checks then and anyway Spain is only for poor peoples holidays!
@ed w: dont think COVID-19 is a ‘ storm in a tea cup ‘ as for payments getting stopped ! maybe they just need some more dosh for the TD rase !
Just watched the Taoiseach on the news reacting to questions from the opposition, I feel sorry for him, looked like a nervous wreck, totally out of his depth.
@Dara O’Brien: Hapless Heather.
@Pat Kelly: Fly to Gibraltar, and walk to Spain. Its about 300 meters, and fly back from Gib. No quarantine and keep you cash.
@Pat Kelly: with you on that, I’m sure that cohort are considerate face mask wearers and will of course be self isolating for 14 days upon their return lol
This coalition has been a disaster since day 1 – how many U turns is that now?
@Ailéin Ó Gréacháin: they’re giving Tony Hawk a run for his money
@Ailéin Ó Gréacháin: So many that they are now actually going in circles. Dizzying for them and for us.
@Ailéin Ó Gréacháin: ask mr Cowan hes litterly an expert at it
@Ailéin Ó Gréacháin: some big wins for the opposition. Except Labour who are opposition to the opposition.
@John kavanagh: Bravo, you win
@Ailéin Ó Gréacháin: its not a U turn fake news.
F
@Andrew English: How so???
@alan: so many u-turns now, that Eamon Ryan feels like he is leader of FF and Micky Martin is beginning to look like Leo.
@Andrew English: spot on there Andrew. Those Labour pains are getting worse!
How they ever thought they could legally cut it in the first place I’ll never k know. A so called minister way way out of her depth.
@Paul Potts: A so called Taoiseach out of his depth.
@Paul Potts: “How they ever thought they could legally cut it in the first place I’ll never k know” – the law obligates claimants to be available for work. There are numerous cases of illegitimate claims from people who are no longer resident or who are not available for work – this is tax payers money that needs to be protected from abuse.
@Fintan O’flaois: “this is tax payers money that needs to be protected from abuse.” Are you having a laugh- with this Government?
@Fintan O’flaois: hope you are as concerned about the freeloading tax dodgers who abuse us all daily not even residents in the state
@Fintan O’flaois: you are either delusional or a true FFG supporter to believe that these class a coalition of cabbages haven’t abused taxpayers money over the years and its all on the public
@Fintan O’flaois: the law also says you can take two weeks holiday once you notify.
@Fintan O’flaois: I hope thats irony. Junior ministers, pay rises, unvouched expenses etc etc. Even refusing they are better of than last government.
@Fintan O’flaois: The PUP payments fall under EU rules and according to EU rules, anyone living in a EU country can travel (for whatever reason) to another EU country & not have any social welfare payments cut.
So are we violating EU rules also?
Yes, along with violating Irish & EU data protection laws, which is a bigger issue.
Also not to mention the various legislative moves made & passed without a Dàil debate or votes.
#Dàilcheatscheatusall
@Gazza Lazza: The PUP payments don’t not fall under “EU rules”. Social welfare and its conditions are a matter for member states. What EU law mandates is non-discrimination between EU nationals. Social welfare is a national competence. Not an EU competence. Stop inventing law to support your dubious points.
@Gazza Lazza: Citation needed.
@Paul Potts: lol
There are a number of ministers in this new administration that are clearly out of their depth.
@Owen Taaffe: Including The Former Angry Chief Whip who now is Minister of Agriculture which he knows nothing about. Plus the two Scarecrow lookalike Juniors
Thomas Byrne and Niall Collins
@Owen Taaffe: The simple fact is they are not experienced to do the job, however no experience is required to run a country, just convince the people to vote for you , job done,
@conriel: And what’s your proposal to fix democracy? God forbid the little people should become legislators! Not so long ago the right to vote was confined to people of property and wealth who were presumed to be informed. Your post is simply a regurgitation of elitism. And you offer no solution. What’s your solution?
I don’t know why I bother I can’t get 2 weeks extra leave for the quarantine on return so can’t head on my holidays.
Yet I’ve to continue paying for someone out of a job to go get sun and drunk on some exotic beach.
@OhToBeARossie: But there’s no requirement to quarantine if you go to a green listed country?
@Seán O’Loughlin: well there is in my job so I presume there is in others
@Fab John: mine too any travel green or not requires 2 weeks quarantine on return.
@OhToBeARossie: get your facts straight. My partner receives the benefit through no fault of his own. Once the countries we are both from enter the green list, we want to visit our families for the first time in months. Guaranteed we will not be getting drunk just hugging our parents.
@OhToBeARossie:
Don’t be comparing the real world with free money privilege.. You’ll break the comments section!
@Allison Smith: it’s no fault of the people still working either. Is your partner willing to pay more tax when he’s back to work for all the money he received?
@Fab John: he has no choice. He works in travel industry.
@OhToBeARossie: “Yet I’ve to continue paying for someone out of a job to go get sun and drunk on some exotic beach.” You can thank FF and FG for that or does that not suit your narrative?
@Allison Smith: But there is a valid argument to say that the PUP payment was introduced to keep the economy going and shouldn’t be available to be spent in the economy of another country.
Also, there are people who will say they are going on holidays but in reality are just emigrating for good and trying to keep the payment for as long as possible.
The reasons for wanting to control the payment are valid, they way in which it is being attempted is shambolic.
@Dara O’Brien: I can tell you now all me and my partner want to do is see our parents. Unlike people in this country we havnt been allowed to. So what if he’s on pup payment and I am not. We just want to see our family. All vacations are cancelled for us. Do you really think he wants to be on this payment, yet you would deny us our rights to see our family. Dont comment unless you have been in these shoes. Oh and grow up. Pup should be spent in our own country blah blah, I’m sure my partner would prefer to have a job
@Allison Smith: No need to be so defensive and snippy. I wasn’t accusing anyone of anything at all. I simply made the point that there are valid reasons for wanting to control the payments but also that they way the government tried to go about it was farcical.
You probably need to relax a bit and realise that not everyone is out to get you. Personally I couldn’t give a hoot where you go.
@Dara O’Brien: people hate being called out
@Fab John: anyone that has received job seekers or the PUP knows that the monies are added to their earnings and tax credits are adjusted down so that revenue get tax etc due when they get a new job or start back….it’s not free money…
@Martin Smith: it’s free money. There’s no way the tax credits could pay back even close to what they have been given.
Especially the free loaders who have been on job seekers etc for years.
People on PUP have jobs so when will they have to pay it back? When they leave a job and get another one??
@Allison Smith: tough, you won’t see your parents, boo hoo, frontline workers sacrificed their lives saving people, their families will never see them again and you can’t sacrifice a trip funded by the state. There’s plenty of tech solutions in the short term, we’ve all used them, parents abroad or not. If it was 50 years ago you’d be writing letters and your sense of entitlement would be non existent
@OhToBeARossie: If this rule is applying even if you are travelling to a green country then it’s your employers policy to do so. How is this related to people receiving a payment they are entitled to? Climb down off that soap box. You’re not the only tax payer in country. You’re one of the lucky ones like me whose job is still functioning and I wouldnt trade it for 350 quid a week, holiday or not. If you were in the unfortunate position of your job closing down you would be entitled to the exact same.
This government is a mitigated disaster, uturns, pay rises for themselves and only a month in.
@Damien Mcconnell: Seriously did you really think it was going to be different this time? Its the same Muppets who are still there. I blame the people who voted for them AGAIN.
@Damien Mcconnell: well what,would one expect from FF, funny how they would vote to give a super junior minister 16k extra and vote against a living wage for the people on minimum wage. Disgraceful!!
I hope its a nail in Mehole’s coffin.
We need a new election… This government is the worst in the history of the state… They are not fit to govern
@a politicians promise is as good as a lie: an election which will almost certainly give a very similar result so what’s the point
@a politicians promise is as good as a lie: This government was formed on June 27th so it has been in power an entire month. How is it even possible to make a statement that they are the worst government in the history of the state?
We’ve probably had better….
@a politicians promise is as good as a lie: there’s talk they are creating a new official office for the Minister for U-turns.
A sure sign of lack of confidence and a dread of another election. Ironically, they are bringing that day closer with every announcement they make.
and they risked it all on the premise that the shinners represented instability. I think John McGuiness might be right and Micky Martin may not see out his full term as Captain of the poorest team in the leagues history.
What a joke. If you are receiving these payments I have sympathy but should you be taking a sun holiday or looking for work?
@Gareth Murran: can’t really be blaming people on PUP for the virus. But NOBODY should be going abroad in a holiday.
@Gareth Murran: Neither. This govt made ‘looking for work’ a requirement though, when it quite clearly contradicts being unemployed solely because of the pandemic, hence its name.
@Gareth Murran: Why should someone who is on PUP who was working in a pub full time and they’re going back to that job when pubs re-open in August be looking for another job only to quit it
@Gareth Murran: of course they shouldn’t be going on holidays. We’re in the midst of a global bloody pandemic.
People who still decide to head abroad this one summer that we asked people to pull together should never be forgotten.
@Gareth Murran: Not only Irish people living in Ireland Gareth. Keep your fake sympathy to yourself
@Gareth Murran: you could have a job that was shut down, and waiting for it to reopen.
@Gareth Murran: Do you know what and whom a PUP is for?
@Gareth Murran: most of these holidays were probably booked pre covid its either go or lose your flight and accommodation money
@Gareth Murran: most people are hanging on for redundancy money I’d say
They gave very vague answers as to how they were gathering information on people leaving the country. Maybe they’re hoping people will just forget about that can of worms now
@Tomas O’Connor: That’s correct and a few of the stories in the newspapers of details they had in the letters to the recipients they didn’t get the details from the person in question in the airports/ports… Like the lady who booked a holiday and then didn’t go to the ferry with her family as she’d have to quarantine for 14 days afterwards and she was due to start back at work…. So she never even went to the port to leave the country, stayed home… And still had her payment stopped.
Oh no, another day, another disaster.
One embarrassment to another.
If you can clock in and claims expenses as a TD in Ireland when you are thousands of miles away then this PUP scheme seems reasonable.
Can they take the 16k pay rises off the junior ministers as well while they are doing u-turns?
Yet another f/up by the circus.
I still wouldn’t mind some answers on how they are getting this info. The DAA said its not from them. The airlines have been silent on the issue so far
@european liberal: explain why they wouldn’t be allowed gather the information before worrying how they are getting it.
@Craic_a_tower: if the gathering of personal information is not in breach of GDPR and airlines have not breached their Privacy Statement then there is no problem.
That the Data Protection Commissioner has initiated an enquiry suggests that the method applied by the DSP in the gathering of personal information is questionable and requires further clarification beyond what has been issued so far.
@Charles Alexander: no launching an enquiry does not mean an actual breach has occurred. GDPR legislation is in constant flux as it was not clear, I have dealt with them and pretty much any question results in an investigation. Generally the question is whether there is a valid reason to be given data after that how long it can be stored. So if people are claiming social welfare and are leaving the country should this information be accessible for the investigation of fraud. Seems like a valid reason to me. Technically how that is done may change as a result of GDPR but it is rare to say that getting the data is in breach. Very very very easy to start a GDPR enquiry started you just have to ask a question really. Not unique to Ireland either
It’s summer time for flip flops
I believe that a recommendation, advice or an advisory, stating that people should not make any foreign travel does not seem to have legally enforceable sanctions as ‘should’ is used to mean a recommendation only.
There are three very important words that mean very different things and apply when dealing with laws and recommendations – could, should and must.
Unless there is a “must” used somewhere in the law or regulation it is not an absolute or an obligation.
@George Vladisavljevic: what the hell are you talking about..
Yes go and travel away but don’t expect to get handed the money for the holiday. Job seekers money. Clue is in the name
@Fab John:
Forst of all, the name is Pandemic Unemployment Payment (or PUP) and not Job seekers money. There are people, such as those that work in pubs, that do not serve food and will be starting in the next stage of openings. Are they to look for another job and quit the one that will be starting in a couple of weeks in the meantime?
I was saying that when makes a law that they want to enforce, it must include the word “Must” otherwise it is only a suggestion at best.
A big difference between one should or could do something and one must do something.
@George Vladisavljevic: ok you got me on the name haha. Apologizes!
But if the govt give you free money and I’m sorry that’s exactly what it is then they should have a say in how you spend it.
I haven’t stopped working since this all started.
It reminded me of Job Seekers cause it’s exactly what they do.
I hope they tax the behind out of people who get it. And if I get another clap I’ll crack up haha
@Fab John:
My point was simply that the government needed to bring in laws that actually stood up in court, and were enforceable, and to stop making up rules and regulations at a whim and without getting proper legal advice, and lord knows that they are paying an absolute fortune to their advisors who really are not giving them their money’s worth.
The government has been very generous (in many cases more generous to themselves than to those they had been elected to serve in the first place) with the taxpayers as well as borrowed funds from the ECB and other institutions, for a very long time, and are being reactive rather than pro-active.
@George Vladisavljevic: I’ll give you a thumbs up for that haha. You didn’t explain it well at all in the first comment. But I totally get what you mean now. Good man
@Fab John: It’s not free money & will have to be paid back via taxation, so no not free money
Right thing to do, but honestly there’s no defending any politicians anymore. Sf, fg, ff they’re all the bloody same. Look after themselves, we’ve had 20 years of cowboy governance. They can all do one as far as I’m concerned
@Côte D’oherty: only 20 years??
People on Jobseekers are entitled to two weeks holidays a year anyways
@Sean Loughney: if you travel to red country you are unavailable for work on return due to quarantine requirements.
@ed w: can you not look online for work? And in a job that would require you to work from home?
@Sean Loughney: Not anymore as “we’re not under normal circumstances” to quote ole Heather there.
Also this was done without any Dáil debate or vote. This alone should tell us all what this shower are all about.
Hon the welfare state! (It’s not welfare Fab John ha)
If you get 350e and you were on less then that doesn’t that promote people finding ways to spend the extra income ie more house parties and holidays.
How you think it’s ok to be given essentially free money from the state to go on holidays is beyond me.
And before people go on the attack it is free money. Why?? Because I work and guaranteed when this is all over i will be taxed the same as these people for money that was not given to me.
And if I go on holidays I’ve been told I have to quarantine for 2 weeks for free on my return unlike them.
A disgrace. Govt giving in as per usual
@Fab John: if you were on less than 350 you have been cut already though I think
@Fiona Fitzgerald: no they are still figuring that out
I’m sorry but if you are on welfare how can you afford to go on holidays! It tells me you get too much free money.
Only encourages people to stay on it. Make ya sick
@Fab John: no as anybody who has been on job seekers due to no fault of theirs or on PUP knows those monies are added to your earnings for the year if and when you return to work or gain employment and taken off your tax credits and your tax credits for the financial year are reduced. But sure you knew that didn’t you….and if revenue are still owed money well they take it out of the following years tax credits yet again I’m sure you knew that….so it’s not free money
@Fab John: They are going to be taxed too
Take a chill pill.
@Martin Smith: gonna be a long time paying it back if they are only doing it that way. Next thing I hear is nurses have to take the hit too when the budget comes around. Or maybe we should give them, doctors, guards and DFB a more hearty clap
Leo the gob should apologize over his clear hatred for a certain section of society that are in tough times
@tuco: definitely had varadkar finger prints all over this that’s why he has disappeared on media platforms…gone very
Some shower we have in place now
Sure how can you holiday at home with the prices suddenly gone through the roof. Hotel in Killarney for 4 nights = €1450 for 1 adult and 2 kids.
@iEuropean: I was checking out a holiday in Santorini Greece for 2 adults, 14 days , just out of interest. Flights from Dublin and hotel came to €1300 , says it all really.
@iEuropean: I wouldn’t feel sorry if that hotel closed down.
One thing Politicians seem to forget is that it is our money that’s paying them .
This new regime is making Leo and Simon look like the two greatest politicians the Country has ever seen.
@Mark Walsh: Hear, hear. Let’s have them back!
Incredible…. this government is run as far as I can see. Micheal Martin is all over the place with Leo no help.
They make announcements and have to retract I wish they would make up their minds and just stick with it. I’m still not convinced the secondary schools will go ahead as planned.
I know these are challenging circumstances but this government is shambling awkwardly from crisis to crisis at the moment and the messaging is all over the place.
PUP recipients were told in March that it was of utmost importance to keep the connection with their employer until they could safely re-open. Now in July it’s just quietly mentioned that they’re supposed to be breaking that connection and looking for other work?
Travel advice is just as confusing with the government and the government travel website saying entirely different things over non-essential travel to green list countries.
This whole government is the very definition of a farce. From UTurns to sleeping on the job and sacking ministers with (drunk) skeletons in their closet… highly entertaining at least!
So those travelling for essential purposes outside of green list still lose their PUP? Hopping From one disaster to another .
@Isabel Oliveira:
Transit through a Green List country if you want to. Or else travel through Belfast.
Plenty of ways around this
The only people on the €350 payment that will be able to afford to travel are the students living at home that were previously only working a few hours a week.
@Sebastian Thommen:
What about the smaller scale publicans, operating as sole traders, on the pup payment since mid March now wanting to take that holiday before reopening their business in a few weeks?
@Sebastian Thommen: they are already cut to 203 aren’t they?
@Sebastian Thommen:
What about people who booked and paid for their holidays before they were on PUP?
There will be very little compliance from a huge amount of people if any of the previous restrictions need to be introduced.
The Government have shown huge distain for people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. “in this together” Mehole
Anyone travelling abroad at the moment is risking the life of all people they come in contact with on return. What is the difference between this and drink driving?
@Marg FitzGerald: fair point.. we are all forgoerting hoe they obtain and share info though no?
@Marg FitzGerald: A really silly thing to say. The Green countries have a lower covid risk than Ireland. Its not difficult!
@Marg FitzGerald:
Traveling abroad is legal, drink driving is not. Pretty big difference
@Marg FitzGerald: travelling against government advise is not breaking the law.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is against the law and this punishable.
I appreciate the point you’re making but your comparables are wrong.
@Marg FitzGerald: what hyperbole .
These clowns are making it up as they go along.
Forget u-turns, they’re just doing donuts now.
Shambles !
Absolutely clueless.
This government already proving to be a disaster. But at least they looked after themselves. People voted for change for a reason. Unfortunately it’s more of the same. Cronyism, gravy train, entitlement, infighting…….ineptitude.
What a shambles, and this is the same minister who passed on a letter that she received from a constituent to a court in support of a farmer who was due to appear in court in February this year, for severe animal cruelty, and the charges were subsequently dropped. Says a lot about her suitability to be a politician, let alone a minister!
Most of the countries on the Green List, have no direct flights from Ireland, meaning you have to get a connecting flight through Heathrow or Schipol. If flying back from Greenland, you’ll have to come through an airport, in a country, that’s not on the list. So when you’re arriving from Greenland, via London, you’re on a flight arriving from England and not the country you were in. Am I the only one that sees a problem here?
@Peter ‘Nocky’ Naughnane:
Most wont see a problem there as the Government have already clarified that transmitting through a country not on the Green List is completely fine.
@Peter ‘Nocky’ Naughnane: there’s the same issue travelling by Ferry to France (Cherbourg)Let’s say someone want to travel to Italy by car, country on the green list and have to transit France to get into Italy for a holiday where you have the right entitlement to go. The way back from Italy you will transit the France teritory again and also have to complete the locator form saying point of departure which is France, but France is not in the green list. So do you have to quarantine for 14 days or not???
Jesus what a complete and utter farce this coalition government are, how can anyone in their right mind think they are doing a good job, beggars belief.
1 c##k up after another .. unreal the amount of incompetence from this government already
This ‘not available for work’ at a time in which home offices are on the rise is showing the lack of knowledge on this matter.
A) Most jobs wouldn’t say anymore “Ok, you start tomorrow!”
B) Many available jobs are allowing work from home (and could even be done with a laptop ftom anywheree
While I hope that people try to take every job offered the closure of the economy was ordered by the government and not the recipient of these payments.
Green for Go, but you shouldn’t go, but if you really want to you can go, except if you’re on the PUP payment then you can’t go, actually fcek it you can go too, but you shouldn’t go.
Clear and concise, I don’t understand everyone’s problem?
How about unrestricted travel, except for those who have been to a regional hotspots within the last 14 days. We can focus our testing and other efforts on those folks. Meanwhile having an economy left at the end of all this mess.
If you fly abroad and you are in receipt of jobseekers or pup it should be stopped. Madness is the u-turn. In the UK if you go on holibobs your benefits stop and rightly so.
@LUCY Thomas: so your saying we cannot fly to see our families when we are receiving this payment, due to working in an industry that’s been massively affected.
@LUCY Thomas:
On jobseekers, I don’t disagree, holidays shouldn’t be allowed. However the fact is that they’ve always been told that they *are* allowed to go on holidays for 2 weeks. It’s not right or legal to tell somebody they can do something and then punish them for it.
As for PUP, people on PUP aren’t all jobseekers, most are barmen, waiters, construction workers, etc, who are out of work because of (correct and sensible) restrictions. Many of them may have booked holidays a long time ago, and already paid for flights and hotels before they were on PUP.
You are entitled to your view on social welfare recipients being allowed to go on holidays, but to enforce a new rule like this without warning is unjust, and possibly illegal.
@David Bourke: you can take holidays on some social welfare payment but you must apply and indicate you are doing so BEFOREHAND. So anybody who travelled or was found to be travelling was committing fraud technically. Normally they just recoup the money and say don’t do that again. All the people that travelled without informing social welfare was pulling a fast one because they could apply later again for the holidays that has no record of been taken. So think again who is actually wrong here?
@David Bourke: fair comment, I didn’t realise they had said people were permitted to leave and still receive it. Quite right to reverse the decision to punish people. I was also under the impression the PUP was being administered along the same lines of the JSA. So much information and misinformation it’s becoming difficult to keep up.
I’m not sure the superlatives have yet been invented yet to describe how deep and wide of a cluster**** this Government is.
How many cockups has this been since this new government started????? God help us if they continue at this rate. Backtracking already!!! Wow. Not a good sign at all.
Shambles.
What happens if the status of the country changes from green to red while they are there? What a hames!
@Anne Marie Devlin: if we become a red country then everyone loses social welfare because we then are staying in a red country… what a shambles this goverment are. nothing coordinated.
Completely inept.
This is how incompetent they are, with advisors..
Please make it stop.
The government is a circus. The attorney general clearly slapped them down.
One U-turn closer to this government collapsing.
It reminds me of being in school and playing games, we used to make up the rules as we went along, my god how shocking are this government.
One word…..Spineless!
@Simon Connolly: they were damned one way or the other.
Wow…This incarnation of our Government are completely incompetent and out of touch. Any smidgen of confidence I was going to afford them is well and truly gone.
The PR machine is in full swing and working overtime as every day brings another embarrassment for them.
I really hope this is not a sign of things to come. Although I wouldn’t hold out too much hope on that front.
@Robbie Farquharson: #shamblesgovernment
Hang on..what about the people on wage subsidy (whose employers may not even have told them they are on)…are they allowed to travel to green countries? This is becoming like an episode of Yes Minister!
Why should they be paid for potentially bringing the virus into the country the government bottled it they should have stuck to their guns and stop their payments
@Noel Donohue:
Why should they be treated differently to people no on the PUP?
That’s the whole point of this, nothing to do with importing the virus.
It’s why 1 section of society is treated differently in the groom of financial penalty to everyone else.
@Noel Donohue: travel accounts to a mere 2% of infection .
Ah for Gods sake!
This is embarrassing.
Get Mehole out of there before something disastrous happens
Terrible decision but again shows public pressure determine government action. So when the ERSI warned there was an impending housing crisis and the government planned to put money into construction they listened to the public instead. Then we had a housing crisis and the public blamed the government. The government did as the public wanted so the responsibility lies with the public. Politics is about leading and putting up with an unhappy public when required. Unfortunately the public don’t agree so we get bad decisions like this one.
Definitely getting a pay rise for that
Govt have also decided at today’s meeting that those in receipt of PUP payment will also be allowed purchase a beer & €9 worth of nuggets without retribution. #allinthistogether
God help us when schools attempt to open in August there will be another upturn by this hapless govt…At least we have an opposition in the dail now, Mary Lou roasted mehole on the PUP debacle and all he could come back with is Sinn Fein backing the green list in the north.time some one reminded govt that the north is a separate state ruled by the uk Parliament with uk laws…
FFG/ Greens weeks in government stumbling from one crisis to another….Heading off on their holidays now…Heather Humphries on Drive time…She can’t wait until interview to finish…stumbling and going around in circles.
Could MM not just accept that the job placement scheme he’s currently on isn’t going well and get Leo back to clear up the mess. It was clearly a mistake letting the trainees take over the government departments while we are still dealing with a crisis. Perhaps the trainees could all take a gap year.
90% of the 2500 who had PUP stopped were leaving permanently. Right decision. That’s €787K per week saved to the exchequer. I’m not sure why people would object to these checks. The situation is very fluid and authorities have to be reactive. The same people moaning are those that said all ports and airports should be closed a few weeks ago. Now they want them all open, welfare money dished out and spent abroad when we’re in the midst of a pandemic and facing bankruptcy.
The coalition of cabbages doing more uturns than a boy racer in a Honda civic……utter class A, weapons grade, complete and utter inept muppets with mehole at the helm
Ridiculous!
This is typical of this make shift gov can’t make a decision cant stick to what they put in place in case it offends some people. All there decisions of late have no solid foundation where masks don’t where masks travel dont travel isolate no restrict movement dont isolate. Open the pubs dont open the pubs. Can they not just make hard and fast decisions. They do know they can please some of the people some of the time but you csnt please all of the people all of the time. Or do they?
Its no wonder the country is in limbo over what to do when our so called leadership doesn’t know what they are doing
Just opened the pups and we will take it from there
@Sean Simpson: what breed were these pups and where were they opened?
Another U turn one thing they don’t do is a u turn when giving themselves raises
@Pauline Cahill: Ah but minister Humphreys didn’t admit it was a U turn. Instead she tried to pretend that the problem was a lack of clarity on her department’s part. Nauseating.
Think it’s becoming a case where people need to take to the streets , a facist government with no moral mandate or morals know what’s going on and turning a blind eye . The same week they cut payments give themselves a pay rise and they then make up rules backdating them so you are breaking rules that were not there so farcical , banana republic ,
Bring back Regina
Well whoever voted for ff and fg ye got what ye deserve.
I think either we are open or closed. either stamp out covid or accept the death toll. flights or no flights, qed.
More than €20m saved from robbers leaving country to live elsewhere – not a bad return for the taxpayer. Now let’s find the rest of them and stop the cash leaving
When” entitled ” is mentioned politicians wake up and take action.But only if it applies to them.
The blind leading the blind, get them out of government
So did the Gardaí share that info with dept social protection. Why did they stop people on the pretext it was an emigration issue. Serious breach of data here. Wonder if the Covid app will run into trouble.
Chi NA virus
@.: thanks Donald
Fine Gael actually despise their voters.
All the bad publicity about attacking the social welfare recipients is getting in the way of perks, mercs, promotions and pensions week before the 6 week holliers ( in Malta, Estonia, Latvia….etc)
C
L
O
W
N
S
Blame the officials when things go wrong
How does FG manage to have such despicable Women as Ministers especially in Social Protection. Seriously that Department deserves a break
Shout loud enough and things get done
what about countries outside of europe? surely there is a green country outside europe.
eg vietnam population 95 million , no deathes, 400 cases etc.
so if you go to GREEN LIST country you dont need search for a Job ?? Are they have any education on what they decide? PUP is for seeking job for all not for selection-or WFF ? IRRELEVANT brown poo…..
so if you go to GREEN LIST country you dont need search for a Job ?? Are they have any education on what they decide? PUP is for seeking job for all not for selection-or WFF ? IRRELEVANT brown poo…..
Fg FF omnishambles
they have also decided: “shiit” just to come out GREEN :D
@Margarita Si Marcel: they are literally parodies of women!
Incompetent government
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