Cowen: Dole payments not immune from Budget cuts

Taoiseach Brian Cowen today dismissed calls to safeguard dole payments and protect the unemployed from Budget cuts.

The amount of people signing on fell by 3,000 to 422,500 last month and despite pleas from Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, the Taoiseach insisted the out-of-work will not be immune from swingeing savings.