Belgian man seeking social welfare assistance goes on hunger strike

A man who claims he has been treated with contempt by the Government after submitting an application for social welfare assistance has gone on a hunger strike and has warned he will starve to death unless he receives the help he needs.

Belgian national Jan De Neubourg, who had been living in Ireland for 15 years, said he has been waiting almost four months for the Department of Social Protection to process his claim and the despair he is experiencing has forced him to take such drastic action.

Mr De Neubourg, who lives with his wife, Marie-Claire, in rented accommodation in a rural area near Killarney, Co Kerry, suffers from severe depression and high-blood pressure and admits to having made three attempts to take his own life in the past.