Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has been in the Dáil all right, but he has not been on the dole. Those who have been on the dole might advocate a different approach. I was on the dole in my early 20s and people find themselves on the dole for a variety of reasons. Simply penalising them for not getting back to work straightaway does not reflect the reality of what it is like to be on the dole. I did not think it was appropriate to cut the dole payment down to €100 - I think that was excessive. It is unfortunate that the young people on the dole did not get the same increase in social welfare that older people got in the recent budget.

More importantly, regarding this question, for some reason the number of young people being hit because they are not complying is increasing. It is not compassionate and does not reflect the reality of the lives of young people. Those on the dole need a bit of help and support, and do not need to be penalised further, as we are doing according to the figures I see.

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