Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I do not accept that totally. We have reduced the threshold in the preventative plan from six months to three. I met people in my clinic recently who had been working for 20 or 30 years, who said they thought they were entitled to their PRSI. They were only two weeks unemployed and felt they were being put through the wringer in terms of lining up another job. I cannot say what the Deputy has just said with the same conviction. My experience is that the situation has tightened very significantly in recent times and the unemployment payment is only made available to those who can prove they are genuinely seeking work.

I accept that in every part of life we will have people who will try to evade schemes and break the rules. However, the fact the threshold has been reduced to three months makes it more difficult for such people to do so. The Deputy is right to a certain extent, although I do not have exact percentages to hand——

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