Martin rejects Harris’s claim that dole is “a way of life”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has dismissed Tánaiste Simon Harris’s suggestion that social welfare is “a way of life” for some long‑term unemployed.

Harris made the comment at the Fine Gael ard fheis in UCC’s Western Gate building, saying the dole is a safety net and not a permanent solution. He warned that in a period of full employment it is “not acceptable for any person to remain on the Live Register year after year”.

Martin told reporters in Co Tipperary that he does not view the dole as a way of life nor as the country’s most serious problem. He noted Ireland’s unemployment rate is close to 5 % and highlighted the Pathways to Work programme as a key tool for encouraging active employment.

Department of Social Protection figures seen by the Irish Examiner show 11,748 people have been on unemployment payments for more than a year. Of these, 5,739 have been unemployed for 13‑24 months, 2,260 for 25‑36 months and 3,749 for over three years.

Martin said the numbers represent a very low proportion of the workforce, estimating around 2 % of the total labour force, and stressed the need to continue supporting those out of work for a year or more.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Daniel Wells / Pexels.