How is the new Covid travel penalties for those on welfare enforced?

A

arandomdirtyman

Registered User
Messages
3
There's a lovely new welfare related travel penalty that drops your payment (regardless of filling out the holiday form) for a week while you are abroad and for two weeks when you return. I guess it makes sense but I'm curious... for science... how is it enforced?

Are there agents at the airport taking PPS numbers from everyone? There's a Tweet for Dublin Airport saying that they are not giving out any information at all but that they can't speak for 3rd parties. I guess the 3rd parties are DSP agents. How are they netting travelers? Is it something voluntary? Or are PPS numbers getting squeezed out of random fliers?

The DAAs twitter response has given some good replies on it, worth a looksie
 
Last edited:
There is a legal basis for this. The obligation is on the airlines, not the airport:

The Regulations transposing the Directive include provisions setting out that the Minister may require air carriers to collect data on passengers for the purposes of establishing whether a passenger is a person of concern which is defined in Regulation 1(a) as
"person of concern" means a person who—
.........
(v) an offence under the Social Welfare Acts,
............

The Regulations provide for deletion of the passenger data within 24 hours or in the case of "a person of concern" up to 3 years or until he or she is no longer considered "a person of concern" whichever is the earlier. Persons who fail to comply with the requirements of the Regulations face a Class A fine or imprisonment for up to 12 months on summary conviction (or both) or for conviction on indictment to a fine of €500,000 or up to 3 years imprisonment (or both).
Click to expand...

Am personally very happy that taxpayers' money is being safeguarded in this fashion.
 
NoRegretsCoyote said:
There is a legal basis for this. The obligation is on the airlines, not the airport:



Am personally very happy that taxpayers' money is being safeguarded in this fashion.
Click to expand...

There caught approx 100 people, the cost of enforcing this prob costing tax payer alot more tax payers money, having all those inspec tors hanging around the airports. These people are not unemployed as such, they still technically employed. In a week when we see junior government ministers getting hefty payrises worth thousands of euros, this leaves a sticky taste.
 
Saavy99 said:
These people are not unemployed as such, they still technically employed
Click to expand...
That's not correct - you are confusing the Pandemic Unemployment Payment with the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme.

The PUP is paid to those that are actively seeking employment in Ireland.

You obviously can't be seeking employment in Ireland if you are on your holidays on the continent!

It seems weird to me that anybody would object to the PUP being withheld in these circumstances.
 
Aren't people who are currently on unemployment assistance entitled to "two weeks holidays" what's the difference. Are they just picking out one group to discriminate against or what..
 
Saavy99 said:
Aren't people who are currently on unemployment assistance entitled to "two weeks holidays" what's the difference
Click to expand...
How do you take a holiday if you are unemployed? Holiday from what exactly?

How is it discrimination to stop a welfare payment that is payable to somebody that is actively seeking work to a person that is not, in fact, actively seeking work?

You obviously can't be actively seeking work if you are on holidays or if you are self-isolating on your return.

Incidentally, it's not just PUP payments that have been stopped - jobseekers' payments have also been stopped.
 
Sarenco said:
How do you take a holiday if you are unemployed? Holiday from what exactly?

How is it discrimination to stop a welfare payment that is payable to somebody that is actively seeking work to a person that is not, in fact, actively seeking work?

You obviously can't be actively seeking work if you are on holidays or if you are self-isolating on your return.

Incidentally, it's not just PUP payments that have been stopped - jobseekers' payments have also been stopped.
Click to expand...
.

Ok, I wasn't aware all means tested welfare payments were included.

However, how are job Interviews been conducted at the moment?? I know of one person on the payment currently in Southern France, he has had three interviews via zoom and if lucky enough to get a job will fly home. So you dont need to be based here to look for work. Loads of people now working from home can locate to any warm climate for few months so why not the unemployed if they can prove they looking for work.
.
 
Saavy99 said:
I know of one person on the payment currently in Southern France, he has had three interviews via zoom and if lucky enough to get a job will fly home.
Click to expand...
Well, he would have to self-isolate for two weeks when he returns home.

Do you think it's fair that the Irish taxpayer should pay for his holiday and two week quarantine? I don't.
 
He had very very high paying job before pandic and paid thousands of euro in taxes for many many years.

I really feel the resources involved to police this could be put to far better use. There is not far off a million people depending on gov for welfare assistance. It's not that the country is flush with jobs right now.
 
Sarenco said:
Well, he would have to self-isolate for two weeks when he returns home.

Do you think it's fair that the Irish taxpayer should pay for his holiday and two week quarantine? I don't.
Click to expand...
If the job entails working from home then he can work away while self isolating.
I'm not a big fan of this sort of thing. People on welfare go on holidays every year. Why has it suddenly become a problem?
 
Sarenco said:
The Government is trying to discourage people from travelling abroad.
Click to expand...
But only if they are the PUP or other forms of welfare it seems. If they don't want people to travel then they should stop people from travelling. They should not stop some people from travelling. I'm all for reforming the welfare system but not like this.
 
Purple said:
But only if they are the PUP or other forms of welfare it seems. If they don't want people to travel then they should stop people from travelling. They should not stop some people from travelling. I'm all for reforming the welfare system but not like this.
Click to expand...

How would you propose they legally stop people from travelling without getting into a constitutional or EU treaty minefield?
 
Purple said:
But only if they are the PUP or other forms of welfare it seems
Click to expand...
No, the advice relates to everybody.

It would be bonkers if the Government was advising people not to travel while simultaneously making welfare payments to people who choose to ignore this advice.
 
Sarenco said:
No, the advice relates to everybody.

It would be bonkers if the Government was advising people not to travel while simultaneously making welfare payments to people who choose to ignore this advice.
Click to expand...

But they still publish a green.list .....
 
odyssey06 said:
How would you propose they legally stop people from travelling without getting into a constitutional or EU treaty minefield?
Click to expand...
I dunno, but luckily I employ people, via the tens of thousands of Euro I pay every year in taxes, to come up with the answers to those questions. Luckily we have some of the best public servants in the world, just ask them, they'll confirm it. They could sort that out no problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top