Over 11,000 people saw their social welfare rates reduced last year for failing to engage with employment services.<\/p>\n
The Government has been cracking down on people in receipt of unemployment benefits for not attending meetings with the Department of Social Protection or engaging with employment support schemes.<\/p>\n
Plans introduced under the last government doubled the penalty for non-engagement from \u20ac44 per week to \u20ac90 from January 2025.<\/p>\n
In response to a parliamentary question from Carlow Kilkenny Fine Gael TD Catherine Callaghan, social protection minister Dara Calleary confirmed that 11,082 people saw their unemployment benefit rates reduced in 2025.<\/p>\n
This was up from 10,232 in 2024, and 5,235 in 2023.<\/p>\n
Mr Calleary said there are \u201crights and responsibilities\u201d attached to people being eligible for jobseekers\u2019 payments, and they are \u201cconditional on the recipient being available for, capable of, and genuinely seeking work\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cJobseekers who do not engage with the Intreo employment service or who fail to participate in appropriate employment interventions can have their jobseeker\u2019s payment reduced and subsequently be disqualified from their payment for up to nine weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey may also have their entitlement to a Jobseekers payment reviewed based on a failure to genuinely seek work.<\/p>\n
\u201cA reduced rate is a final step in a process to encourage a jobseeker to avail of the employment supports on offer, and once a jobseeker resumes engagement with the employment support service, the reduced rate is lifted immediately.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n