Welfare review calls as Westmeath firms hit by staff quitting jobs to be ‘better off’ on state benefits

Longford-Westmeath Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy urged government bosses to undertake a review of the State’s welfare system in response to the concerning trend.

He told of how he had been contacted by a number of businesses who are finding it “incredibly difficult” to recruit staff.

The Ballynacargy native raised the topic in the Dáil yesterday (Thursday) during a debate on the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024.

Mr Troy said the very definition of welfare was to provide a sense of security to people in times of financial hardship and never meant as a “lifestyle choice”.

He said: “In certain instances, people are handing in their notice and saying they would be better off on unemployment benefits.”

One measure the Fianna Fáil TD suggested should be enacted is for a Department of Social Protection ‘activation officer’ to contact a social welfare applicant’s previous employer to double-check the person has left their job because they have been made redundant and not simply left the post.

Mr Troy also called for revisions to be made to the “X’s and O’s” system in terms of how social welfare is calculated for those individuals who are in a position to work on a more intermittent basis.

“It is a bit archaic that people will only get a social welfare payment if they do not work for one particular day,” he said.

“Given the variety of employment out there and the different ways people are working, there are opportunities to work a couple of hours a day, in the morning or evening.

“People are being disincentivised or discouraged from working at all if they will lose their full rate of social welfare for working only an hour or two.”

In response, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said many of the points raised by Mr Troy were part of the Government’s “budget considerations” but declined to take up her government colleague’s advice in speaking to former retired social welfare inspectors in tackling welfare fraud.

“There are many former employees of different organisations, but I particularly speak to those in my Department, who have much experience,” she said.

“That is a good idea because different people bring different perspectives on specific experiences that they have had in the workplace.”