Fine Gael dole proposal racist, says Hanafin
Wednesday September 10 2008
A GOVERNMENT minister yesterday branded Fine Gael's Leo Varadkar a racist over his proposals to give foreigners free dole money to go home.
Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin said Mr Varadkar must have been "talking about the Africans".
Her rebuke followed the Fine Gael enterprise spokesman's proposal of a voluntary repatriation scheme for foreigners.
Mr Varadkar last night accused Ms Hanafin of overreacting and called Fianna Fail "a bunch of hypocrites".
Ms Hanafin made her comments at a booklet launch by the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed, in Dublin.
She said: "All European nationals have free movement. The only people [Mr Varadkar] could be talking about are non-EU nationals, which must mean he was talking about the Africans, which means it's a racist comment.
"He would want to think where he's putting his foot before he puts it in his mouth. It is undoubtedly racist to do it.
"We are delighted to have these people; they are making a contribution to our economy. The Irish were never rejected anywhere when things got difficult for them."
The Social and Family Affairs Minister further said 95pc of foreign workers with PPS numbers were not claiming benefits.
Mr Varadkar, the son of an Indian GP and an Irish mother, has pointed to a Spanish scheme that offered jobless foreigners on benefits up to €18,000 to return home for at least three years.
Last night, he said: "If Fianna Fail is accusing me of racist comments, then they are guilty of racist acts and . . . hypocrisy.
"The Government has its own voluntary repatriation schemes for asylum seekers."
"I've had a lot of people on to me . . . one third abuse, two-thirds agreeing," he added.
"As Minister for Education, Minister Hanafin refused free college fees to children who came to Ireland when they were very young . . . because they were not EU citizens."
The Fine Gael Spokesman on Enterprise agreed that the proposal would realistically apply to non-EU nationals, but insisted his proposal was not targeted at Africans.
- Aine Kerr Political Correspondent
