Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We have much flexibility and I advise the Deputy to pass the details of the case to my office and to bear in mind that the State is constantly sued or threatened with legal proceedings if we do not strictly enforce habitual resident conditions. There have been recent cases of people who had spent some time in Ireland but were caring for people in another part of the EU claiming the carer's allowance, a means tested benefit. I cannot give an undertaking that we will step down from EU rules that would potentially leave us open, due to the high level of our social welfare payments, to significant claims over a period of time by people seeking to claim in Ireland.

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