Martin rejects Harris’s claim that dole is ‘a way of life’ for some long-term unemployed

Tánaiste Simon Harris had said in his Saturday night speech to the Fine Gael ard fheis that “the dole is a safety net, not a way of life”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has rejected Tánaiste Simon Harris’s claim that, for some people who are long-term unemployed, social welfare is “a way of life”. Picture: Niall Carson/Press Association

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has rejected Tánaiste Simon Harris’s claim that, for some people who are long-term unemployed, social welfare is “a way of life”.

Mr Martin added that he believed that Ireland had more serious problems than the “very, very low” numbers involved.