The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has warned people of a telephone scam by people pretending to be from their department.

The Department of Social Protection is refusing to reveal information on the Data Protection Commissioner’s investigation into the lawfulness of the public services card.

Economics is basically the study of how to allocate scarce resources to achieve the best possible outcomes. The problem is that resources are by definition limited in supply and demands are virtually insatiable, writes Jim Power

There is a problem with some payments of the fuel allowance lump sum due for payment this week.

New laws aimed at tackling precarious, insecure work “entirely dodges” dealing with “if and when” contracts which are considered to be among the most exploitative.

There has been a tripling in the last three years in the numbers of claimants who have had penalties imposed on their social welfare payments — and JobPath has been linked to the significant increase.

A group representing one-parent families is demanding a statutory maintenance agency after a survey showed that some families are owed as much as €6,000 per child.

In the aftermath of Budget 2018, it wasn’t the big ticket items in health, housing or social protection that got the Dáil in a tizzy.

The Social Protection Minister has been told by her department that it will be “difficult to meet” expectations of further benefit increases because of financial constraints and the impact of rising pensions costs.

The Department of Social Protection has warned that it faces “a high risk of losing significant numbers of experienced staff with critical skills” over the next decade, at a time when it has been stretched because of a surge in demand for its services.

The Department of Social Protection has admitted it does not know how many allegations of welfare fraud submitted by members of the public actually lead to the detection of an offense, writes Joe Leogue.

There is much more scope for expanding social insurance. I have proposed merging the USC into PRSI as part of a wider tax cut and reform plan, writes Leo Varadkar.

A home care worker used another person’s PRSI number to fraudulently claim almost €60,000 in benefits, a court heard yesterday.

New figures show while the numbers of families turned down for the Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) has fallen, almost 80% of applications that were rejected were later granted the payment on appeal.

Following pressure from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Government announced last January it was to investigate the extent of “disguised employment” in the country.

Dispute over contracts could scupper plan to restore benefits and expand them to self-employed.

Higher income earners will initially get enhanced social welfare payments if they lose their jobs, under plans being developed by Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar.

Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has ruled out any linking of the payment of child benefit to school attendance, despite a commitment in the programme for government to do so.

 The ‘back to work’ mantra is used to force people, despite their skills and training, into precarious work, offering the choice between hard labour and destitution, say Tom Boland and Ray Griffin 

The Department of Social Protection has been given the green light to outsource the 1,000 roles required to run its job activation scheme, JobPath, to the private sector.

Almost 5,000 dole claimants have had their weekly rates slashed or cut off after refusing to take up work or training opportunities.

It’s time to act so that children cared for by childminders cannot and should not be disadvantaged, writes Heino Schonfeld.

A Dublin-based consulting firm has enjoyed a €34.5m contract from the Department of Social Protection over the past five years, new figures show.

Disability campaigners have expressed concern at the “culture of refusal” in the Department of Social Protection, citing the high rate of applications for disability allowance that are turned down.

The Government is scrapping a welfare allowance for people who need special diets for medical reasons.

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton says her department is making every effort to protect welfare staff following recent attacks and abuse in dole centres.

Death threats, knife attacks, physical assaults, verbal abuse, and attacks on security staff and members of the public are just some of the dangers Social Protection staff as well as dole claimants are facing in welfare offices.

GARDAÍ were alerted to attacks, abuse, and threats against Department of Social Protection staff and clients in almost half of serious incidents recorded by employees over the last two years.