43 disqualified from social welfare payments for refusing to take part in Gateway jobs initiative

The Department of Social Protection has confirmed that 43 people have been disqualified from their social welfare payments for up to nine weeks for refusing to take part in its Gateway jobs initiative.

Under the terms of the Gateway initiative, dole claimants who have been on the Live Register for more than two years are paid an extra €20 per week on top of their jobseeker’s allowance to work for city and county councils.

An average of 19.5 hours per week is on offer in categories intended to benefit the local area — such as village enhancement schemes; landscaping; tourism ambassadors; animal control; and libraries. Each placement lasts 22 months.