One in five people claiming the dole are foreign nationals

FOREIGNERS account for almost one in five people claiming the dole, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Of the total 291,363 people on the Live Register in December, 54,455 or 18.7% were non-Irish. One year earlier, only 13.6% were foreigners.

The increase would appear to indicate foreign people are not returning to their home countries if they lose their jobs, but instead remaining in this country.