The government has done a u-turn on its position on the pandemic unemployment payment.
Minister Heather Humphreys has confirmed people won't lose access to social welfare payments if they travel abroad to greenlist countries.
After days of controversy around people losing their social welfare payments, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys announced a u-turn on government policy in the Dáil this morning.
People also won't have their payments stopped if they travel to countries not on the greenlist for essential reasons like a bereavement, as long as they inform their welfare office.
There will also be a review of all the cases to date where people had their payment stopped.
The government's approach to this issue and the mixed messaging was strongly criticised by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. Taoiseach Micheál Martin hitting back at Sinn Féin's own record of decisions on the same issues in Northern Ireland.
The u-turn is just the latest change of policy from this government after a public backlash and a climbdown from a position ministers were defending just this morning.
