Vol. 417 No. 5
429 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether non-nationals living in Ireland are being targeted as part of a campaign to reduce social welfare expenditure; if he can give figures or even estimates of the number of Irish nationals in receipt of social security in the UK and elsewhere abroad; and if, apart from other factors, he considers that it may be counter productive to target the relatively small number of non-nationals resident in Ireland.
Statistics are not maintained of the number of non-nationals in receipt of social security payments in this country nor are statistics available of the number of Irish persons in receipt of social security benefits in the United Kingdom or elsewhere abroad.
While a number of non-nationals have featured in reviews of entitlement to unemployment assistance in certain western areas in recent times, I must stress that non-nationals are not being specially targeted as a group with a view to disallowing or reducing their payments under the Social Welfare Acts.
The entitlement of non-nationals to payments under Social Welfare Acts is determined in accordance with the same statutory conditions as apply to nationals.
