Simon Harris denies ard fheis comment was 'punching down' on the unemployed

Simon Harris told delegates at the Fine Gael ard fheis that 'the dole is a safety net, not a way of life'. He has since argued he is trying to 'lift people up'

Simon Harris told the Fine Gael ard fheis in UCC that there would be 'penalties' for those who fail to engage with the pathways to work schemes. Picture: Chani Anderson

Tánaiste Simon Harris has rejected criticism that he is “punching down” on those on long-term social welfare, arguing he is trying to “lift people up” rather than leaving them “languishing” on social welfare.

In his speech to the Fine Gael ard fheis on Saturday evening, Mr Harris told delegates that “the dole is a safety net, not a way of life”.

He also warned there would be “penalties” for those who fail to engage with the pathways to work schemes.

Social protection figures seen by the Irish Examiner, counting those in “continuous receipt of jobseeker's allowance” but excluding “casual jobseekers”, show that there were 29,580 people on jobseeker's allowance for 12 months or less.

Some 5,739 people were unemployed for between 13 and 24 months, while 2,260 people were unemployed for between 25 and 36 months. Another 3,749 people were on jobseeker's allowance for over three years.

To be “long-term unemployed”, a person must be on benefits for more than a year. The figures confirmed that 11,748 people were long-term unemployed.

The Central Statistics Office figures for the live register for October recorded 172,800 people. It noted that there were 52,296 people on the live register for one year or more. This includes people on jobseeker’s benefit, jobseeker’s allowance, jobseeker’s pay-related benefit, as well as other social welfare contributions.

Mr Harris said in his ard fheis speech that he wanted to see a “new pathways to work plan, the same kind of activation strategy that was successful in previous Fine Gael governments”.

However, the Irish Examiner understands that work is already under way on a new plan from social protection minister Dara Calleary, which will be launched before the end of the month.

'Desperate attempt to distract'

Labour leader Ivana Bacik argued that the comments were a “really shocking example of Harris lashing out, punching down and looking for a scapegoat”, noting that we have “such a small number of people on the long-term unemployed register”.

She also noted that there were “so many complex reasons” for people being long-term unemployed.

“To start singling out a group strikes me as a desperate attempt to distract from the myriad of failings under Harris’ leadership — a cost-of-living crisis with no end in sight; people fearing their winter energy bills, with over 500,000 bills already in arrears; record homelessness; and young people emigrating in their droves,” Ms Bacik argued.

“Let’s not forget, this is the same Tánaiste who has dropped the living wage, left public sector workers without a pay deal, and now looks to scapegoat those on the hard edge of the economy once again."

Mr Harris argued that it was Labour’s Joan Burton who first introduced penalties in 2011 for those who refused to engage with schemes.