Kildare TDs Clash Over Tánaiste's Dole Comments

It follows his speech at the Fine Gael Ard Fhéis over the weekend

Kildare TDs have clashed over the Tánaiste's recent comments saying he intends to penalise long-term unemployed people.

It follows his speech at the Fine Gael Ard Fhéis over the weekend, adding that "the dole is a safety net, not a way of life".

His comments have received criticism by members of the opposition, with accusations that he's "punching down" on the long-term unemployed.

Kildare North TD for Fine Gael Joe Neville has defended the remarks, saying the measure is to incentivise people to work.

"We need to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to get back to work, but people who refuse to meet and pick up the phone, they're people that we need to pull back into the system and talk to jobseekers teams, and if you don't talk to us, there will be a deduction [in their social welfare payments].

"We have to be conscious of people who refuse to engage with the system, because we have to have a system where we're giving them every opportunity to get back to work," he said.

Deputy Neville also alluded to an increase in penalties for those who don't co-operate with the system, from €90 to €100.

Also speaking on Kildare Today, Sinn Féin TD Shóna Ní Raghallaigh said the focus on long-term unemployed people is merely a distraction from the real issues:

"It's just more of a distraction from a party who are sliding in the polls, and have no new ideas, this is a small cohort of people, 1.3% of the population in long-term unemployment, and we're talking about them on every radio show instead of the real problems that are facing people today.

"Fine Gael have been in Government for 16 years, and we have record homelessness, 320,000 people in electricity arrears and this is what [Simon] Harris used his 25 minutes to focus on," she added.

Deputy Ní Raghallaigh also believed that the Government penalising long-term unemployed won't incentivise them to work, adding that Fine Gael is "doing nothing to address this".

The full interview can be heard below: