Dole recipient told to travel 90km for Jobpath meeting

A Connemara woman was told to take a 90 kilometre round-trip for a meeting with Jobpath.

The 62-year-old woman, who is on the ‘dole’ and lives in the Carna area, was told to attend a Jobpath clinic in An Cheathrú Rua. The woman does not drive, and there is no public transport locally.

“She lives 45 kilometres away from the office in An Cheathrú Rua. There is absolutely no public transport whatsoever from her home to An Cheathrú Rua. She’d have to get the bus into Galway, get off, and get the bus back to An Cheathrú Rua. Make her appointment, and then get the bus back into Galway from An Cheathrú Rua, and get off and get the bus back out to Carna. She’d be the day travelling.

“This would only be possible one day a week because the bus to where she lives near the Carna area only goes once a week,” said Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.

“The alternative would be to get a taxi, or a hackney, which would cost about €100 round-trip because they’d probably have to wait for you while you make your appointment. It’s just crazy stuff.”

He said it was ‘totally unacceptable’ that a social welfare recipient would be asked to go to so much expense and to travel so far for Jobpath commitments.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh has raised the issue with the Department of Social Protection.

“This is not an isolated incident, it is happening more regularly than you’d think. The Jobpath meetings are once a month. This all goes back to the scrapping of the community welfare officers, who used to be locally based in favour of Jobpath, which is run by two private operators,” he said.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh added that people on Jobpath cannot take part in CE Schemes, which was another flaw in the system.