Asylum pay rise ‘U-turn’ queried

The head of the Irish Refugee Council has queried why the government-appointed Working Group on Protection shelved plans to provide an interim report last January, which might have brought forward an increase in weekly payments to asylum seekers.

Writing on her personal blog, Sue Conlon – who was a member of the working group until stepping down last month – referenced minutes from meetings she attended to outline how initial plans for an interim report were dropped and proposals for increasing the weekly payments to asylum seekers were “watered down”.

The article, reprinted in today’s Irish Examiner, outlines how the Department of Social Protection suggested an increase to the weekly payment was “feasible” in the short term.