Simon Harris denies that his 'dole is not a way of life' comments are controversial

The Tánaiste warned at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Cork that there will be punishments for those who are on unemployment benefits long-term

Tánaiste Simon Harris has denied that his comments on the dole not being a “way of life” are controversial, insisting that he is “not happy” to have people “left languishing on long-term unemployment”.

In his speech at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in University College Cork (UCC) on Saturday evening, Mr Harris warned that there will be punishments for those who are on unemployment benefits long-term.