Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 July 2020
882. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of social welfare recipients that have had payments stopped or reduced on foot of operations by social welfare inspectors at Dublin Airport since 2010; and the number of such operations at the airport by her officials since 2010. [20750/20]
View answerSince 2012, social welfare inspectors have had legal powers to carry out checks at ports and airports. Section 250 (16) of the social Welfare consolidation Act 2005, as amended, provides the legal basis for these checks.
While the number of airport checks has significantly increased in recent months since the introduction of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), this reflects the very different control environment that my Department has been operating in, with large numbers of people leaving the country from mid-March onwards, arising from the lock-down measures imposed from the Covid pandemic.
As I mentioned in the Dáil yesterday, I have directed my Department to review all cases to date where people went on holidays and had their PUP payment stopped. Last evening, the Department completed the review of the 2,500 PUP cases where the payment had been stopped for travelling abroad. This review has identified some 85 cases that have the potential to be entitled to the PUP for a holiday period. The Department will be contacting the 85 individuals in the coming days to verify these cases.
The number of payments stopped or reduced on foot of the work done by inspectors in ports and airports from 2013 is not readily available. I have asked my officials to forward this information to the Deputy as soon as possible.
I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
