The rule denying social welfare to citizens from the EU accession states, unless they have lived here for two years, is to be reviewed by the Minister for Social and Family, Mr Brennan.
Mr Brennan said the review was in response to cases of extreme hardship.
The Merchants Quay Project in Dublin, which runs a drop-in advice service and food centre, says it is being "overwhelmed" with new immigrants. Where it had been serving a free hot lunch to up to 120 people a day, this has risen to 170 a day in the past six months as Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians and Czechs find they are unable to afford to feed themselves.
By far the greatest numbers are from Poland, says Ms Emer Patten, team leader at the open access centre in Merchants Quay. The project is calling for supports to be put in place to assist immigrants who do not qualify for services, due to the "habitual residency" rule. It was introduced on May 1st last year to coincide with the expansion of the EU and the expected increase in immigration from accession states. This requires that anyone applying for welfare benefits be "habitually resident" in the State for at least two years.
Mr Artur Brozek (46), from west Poland, arrived in November. He said he had two sons aged nine and 15, and was in Ireland to "send them money for a good life".
"I went to a hostel and I am looking for work every day. I get a day's work a week frying chips." He is earning €80 a week, he says, and is living in a squat with other Poles.
Another man, Mr Arek Michalicki (21), is sleeping in a friend's car in the north inner-city, and though he was working as an engineer's assistant, is now out of work. The men say they had no idea how expensive Ireland was, but were determined they would not go home yet.
"There is no job, nothing there for us in Poland," said Mr Romek Michnowicz (49), a father of four, from south-west Poland.
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