Non-Irish European citizens will have to live in Ireland or the UK for at least two years before being entitled to social assistance, child benefit and a range of other welfare payments, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan, announced last night. Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent reports.
The new restrictions are in line with those announced recently in the UK. They are in part a response to Government fears that the accession of 10 new members to the EU on May 1st could lead to a significant number of their citizens coming here to draw welfare payments.
They are also designed to ensure that similar welfare regimes are in place in Ireland and the UK in order not to distort the common travel area between the two countries.
Ms Coughlan said yesterday that the Government had decided to restrict access to certain social welfare payments by introducing a "habitual residence test" for claimants.
The new condition would restrict access for people "from other countries who have little or no connection with Ireland".
Under the new rules, people who have been resident in the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK for less than two years shall be presumed not to be habitually resident.
Some exceptions may be made to the two-year rule, however, and other factors will be considered in determining whether a person satisfies the habitual-residence test.
These include the claimant's length and continuity of residence, employment prospects, reasons for coming to Ireland, future intentions and "centre of interest" which covers family and home connections to the State.
In some circumstances - most notably in the case of expatriates returning home - claimants will be entitled to receive benefits after less than two years' residence.
Similarly, however, those who have been resident for two years will not automatically be entitled to benefits and will still be required to fulfil the above requirements.
"Each case will be examined on the facts and the person's degree of permanence in the State, and no single factor will be conclusive," said Ms Coughlan.
People who were refused access to welfare payments because they failed the habitual-residency test would be given financial assistance to return home, if they wanted to.
She repeated that the Government was imposing no restrictions on the right of citizens of the new EU states to come to Ireland to work if they wished to from May 1st. Some other existing EU members have imposed restrictions on the right to work.
There will be no restriction on people claiming social-insurance-based payments such as disability benefit, retirement pensions and where entitlement is gained by the payment of social insurance contributions.