Burton plans fresh crackdown on jobless

A FRESH crackdown on jobless people who refuse offers of work or training was signalled by Social Protection Minister Joan Burton as she warned that benefits would be cut off for nine weeks as punishment.

In a get-tough stance unveiled at Labour’s parliamentary conference in Meath, Ms Burton insisted she was poised to use sweeping new powers to suspend welfare payments.

“If you fail to co-operate then we are taking the legal powers to reduce your payments and if it’s non-co-operation ... we’ve taken additional powers to suspend people for up to nine weeks,” she said.