The reason for the introduction of the habitual residence condition (HRC) in May 2004 was to ensure that people who have not worked in Ireland or who have not established habitual residence in Ireland should not avail of social assistance schemes or child benefit.
HRC Statistics are only available from 2010. Separate statistics for the Traveller and Roma communities are not available.
The table gives the numbers of customers who have been disallowed from 2010 to 2013 inclusive.
|
|
2013**
|
2012
|
2011
|
2010*
|
|
Irish
|
264
|
428
|
455
|
650
|
|
EEA/Non EEA
|
2580
|
2389
|
4039
|
5256
|
|
Total
|
2844
|
2817
|
4494
|
5906
|
*Please note that figures for 2010 are incomplete due to industrial action when figures were not collected for a number of months.
**Please note that figures for 2013 do not include Carer's Allowance scheme.
The HRC is operated in a careful manner to ensure that Ireland's social welfare system is protected, while at the same time ensuring that people whose cases are appropriate to the system have access to it when they need it. Each case received for a determination on the HRC is dealt with in its own right and a decision is based on application of the legislation and guidelines to the particular individual circumstances of each case.
The Habitual Residence Guideline is continually revised to take account of recent developments in case-law, both national and international, and to reflect the Department’s interpretation of the legal provisions that impact on the HRC.
If claimants are not satisfied with the decision they are always advised they have the right of review and/or the right of appeal.
The Department processes in excess of 2 million claims each year and it makes payments to over one million people every week. It’s important to emphasise that the staff in this Department are very conscious of their obligations to claimants and every effort is made to ensure people receive the entitlements due to them.
