Welfare penalty spike tied to JobPath

There has been a tripling in the last three years in the numbers of claimants who have had penalties imposed on their social welfare payments — and JobPath has been linked to the significant increase.

In 2015, penalty rates were applied to 5,325 welfare claimants by the Department of Social Protection. But by October of this year, the figure had already reached 14,637.

Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty pointed out that, to qualify for a jobseeker payment, a person must meet certain conditions, including the requirement to be available for, capable of and genuinely seeking full-time work.