The Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Coughlan has announced a series of restrictions aimed at blocking social welfare entitlements for immigrants from new EU member-states for two years.
The measures will restrict access to social welfare payments by introducing a 'habitual residence test' which will act as an additional condition to be fulfilled by anyone claiming social assistance payment or child benefit.
It means that anyone who wants to claim assistance will now have to prove that they have been resident in the State for at least two years.
If they have been resident for less than the 2 year period it shall be presumed that they are not habitually resident and the onus will be on them to prove otherwise.
Minister Coughlans said the measures were being introduced to "ensure our social welfare system does not become over burdened."
The move is designed to block social welfare entitlements for immigrants from new member-states in central and eastern Europe and today's announcement makes Ireland the last of the current EU members to signal such restrictions.
Immigrants from the 10 accession states will now have no automatic right to welfare benefits in any of the 15 existing member states.
The new residence condition will apply to the following social
assistance payments —
Unemployment Assistance; Old Age (Non-Contributory) and Blind Pension; Widow(er)'s and Orphan's (Non-Contributory) pensions ; One Parent Family Payment; Carer's Allowance; Disability
Allowance; Supplementary Welfare Allowance ( other than once-off exceptional and urgent needs payments)
It will also apply to persons claiming Child Benefit.
It will not apply to social insurance-based payments such as Disability Benefit, Retirement Pensions and where entitlement is gained by the payment of social insurance contributions.