The Dole !

I think the rules for foreigners to enter Ireland should be tightened. I was in the Dole office the other day and while I waiting to be seen, there was a french guy applying for dole. He was living with a friend and so didn't have a bill in his name. The woman said, 'give this form to your friend to sign to confirm you live there and bring it back' Anyone could sign that. But then she said 'you'll get your first payment in 10 days time, it will be €200 per week'

When I came to Ireland, they wanted my passport, which I had lost a few months previous so came over on my Citizen card, (a voluntary ID card), a letter from my dole office in the UK stating I was no longer claiming in the UK, a letter saying I lived at the address I gave, my full birth cert, again I had mislaid it due to moving several times recently, and my P45.

Now when I signed off in the UK, I told them I was moving to Ireland and they closed my claim, paid me up to when I was leaving and that was it. apparently I should have been given a form to transfer my claim to here and wouldn't have to have got all those documents.

I was actually living in a hostel before coming here and any official mail sent after I left had to be sent back. So I had to call the dole office, find out where my P45 was and get it sent over. In the end they denied my claim because they said 'the claimant was not making efforts to find suitable employment' Yeh, right, you try getting a job with no PPS number, tax details or references.

I went to my local TD and explained it to him, he raised it in the Dail and was given much the same response. But I appealed and it was allowed, I think the fact I went to my TD and appealed helped. most people would have just accepted the decision. The Dole office dragged their heels to pay out my backdated money though, when I called them to ask how long before I got it, they went 'Oh your claim was allowed, (face drops!) um, about 2 weeks' LOL