Eloise HorsfieldBy Eloise Horsfield
UK citizens are claiming up to £67 per week in dole hand-outs while ‘sunning themselves on the Costa del Sol,’ ministers fear.
Official figures show £1 million was paid in Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) in 2010-11 to an estimated 2,000 people who left Britain for another European country.
“How many of these people do we think are genuinely seeking work while they are sunning themselves on the Costa del Sol?” said Conservative MP Philip Davies, who is among a group of ministers seeking reforms to EU law to restrict hand-outs.
The Department of Work and Pensions, although unable to provide the Olive Press with a breakdown of figures for Spain, confirmed that ‘under certain conditions’ unemployment benefits can continue for three months.
Claimants must have been registered for at least four weeks in Britain and exhaust all possibilities of finding a job there, before extending their search in another country it said.
“They must register with the employment services and comply with the job search obligations and control procedures in that country,” it added.
To register as unemployed in Spain, British dole claimants need to first obtain an NIE and social security number – a simple process which takes just one morning.
After that, their JSA will be paid directly into their bank account for three months.
However critics claim it is easy for those on the dole to take a lax attitude to their ‘job search’ while enjoying a trip in Spain.
“Other countries aren’t going to be busting a gut to ensure they are seeking work when they are over there, when it is the British taxpayer who is paying up,” said Davies.
Meanwhile Emma Boon of the Taxpayers’ Alliance added: “Many taxpayers can’t afford a holiday right now so it will seem strange to them that the Department is handing out JSA to those living abroad.
“There must be safeguards in place to ensure that people don’t exploit the system.”
The Costa del Sol must be very crowded as it seems that every Brit who lives in Spain is there.
Ah the good old Taxpayers’ Alliance spouting out a load of old codswallop again, as normal. Remember these were the people who say OAPs should not get winter fuel allowance when had paid taxes all their working lives, and were living in Spanish areas where the climate was a cold or colder than the UK in winter.
The fact is that some people will take advantage of the three month period and use that time to just go abroad and purposely not search for work, whilst some others will actively look for work during the three month period.
Bottom line is that there exists no safeguard that can stop different human behaviour. The Taxpayers’ Alliance need to disband and quickly get into the real world. British taxpayers include the people who get winter fuel allowance and often people who are temporaily out of work, so it’s moot to keep targetting these people.
Emma Boon needs a nice winter holiday in Granada province to exoerience real life lol.
I think it’s shocking that they are allowed to receive any benefits abroad. In the current climate Spain’s unemployment is way higher than UK and it’s not just in costa del sol but in costa blanca too.
I had a four month period on Jobseekers allowance back in 2003 when I lost my job but already had a holiday booked and paid for and I was made to sign off while I was out of the country for two weeks and then had to sign back on again on my return home. I was tret with a disgusting attitude by the jobcentre staff.I was lucky that I regained employment shortly after returning home. I had to work hard to pay for my holiday and some of these people are nothing but scroungers and don’t want to work…shocking!!! It’s the same as the so called expats, you know the ones who are never coming back, and then fall ill and what do they do? come back to the UK and use the national health service and then go back to Spain and who picks up the bill? yes the UK Taxpayer so I’m in full agreeance that they should be stopped!!!
If anyone can tell me how to “enjoy a holiday” and “sun myself” on this coast with 67 pounds a week then I’m all ears!!!
Lori can. It’s so shocking. lol.
Most “Comments” miss the critical point:
unless Taxpayers ACT to insure the UK has political and judicial leaders with the bollocks to ACT according to the Taxpayers’ interests, soping UK Taxpayers will continue to see: illegal immigration & benefits to them out of control, substantial benefits abuse in all sectors – even Parliament/Lords, judicial refusal at Taxpayers expense to throw out criminals/terrorists even tho France, Italy, etc DOES, financial bailouts of banks using Taxpayers’ money without strict PREconditions for loaned funds use, refusal of Cameron & Osborne to STOP exhorbant pay/bonuses to top Execs at UK banks now majority owned by UK Taxpayers in spite of them continuing to LOSE money, top politicos verbage about “every UK Taxpayer must morally pay their fair share of taxes” while setting up an Off Shore company to receive his pay so HE pays greatly reduced UK Taxes – and he wants to be Mayor!, ad nauseaum. For UK Taxpayers who might have forgotten – “Taxation WITHOUT REPRESENTATION is (still) tyranny”! How/when do you show “enough is enough!” to your “leaders” Or – emmigrate! Afterall – Spain is ONE of MANY better places to live a better life at less cost in warmer, sunny weather too!
Maybe, the Honorable “Conservative MP Philip Davies, who is among a group of ministers seeking reforms to EU law to restrict hand-outs” – should first look at UK judgements/penalties to those legal and illegal UK persons PROVED stole from the system of benefits right in the UK.
Isn’t it EASIER to solve the problem at HOME first?
The main point of this argument is that there are a certain amount of brits who are claiming jobseekers allowance and not looking for work but are going to other countries saying they are looking for work when in fact they are sunnying themselves on the beaches instead. There will always be a certain amount of people who will abuse the system and not just by going abroad but here at home.
I have no problem with people who are genuinely not able to gain employment in their own country going abroad to seek work except that certain amount of people are not doing so and using it as an excuse to have a holiday at the expense of the taxpayer which is wrong. Especially when lots of taxpayers in todays climate who work hard and have done all their lives can’t afford even a week away once a year. I do think there should be more stringent rules put in place so that when people are claiming uk benefits and are abroad looking for work that they comply and prove they are genuinely seeking work.
This argument has been going on for years and will go on for years to come. At the end of the day it’s ok for government ministers to shout about all of these problems but when thats all they are doing it’s not solving anything or stopping benefit cheats or benefit fraud which is picked up by the british taxpayer in the long run.
They won’t find much work in Spain!! LOL
Lori, a few people “sunnying” themselves in Spain are the least of the problems facing the UK. A certain amount of people will always abuse the system – this will cotinue to happen unless all benefits are stopped completely.
How can one “prove they are genuinely seeking work” Lori? Does looking in the job section satisfy this condition?
Fred I totally agree with you as there are worse problems facing the UK and Spain for that matter and yes like I’ve said there will always be people who abuse the system. The figues quoted in yesterdays news was 43 million pounds was apparently defrauded from the UK welfare fund last year by people supposedly looking for work in Spain.
In the news also yesterday Ian Duncan Smith, the conservitive minister, had talks with Spanish ministers about this subject and yes I think they were talking about stopping benefits altogether. And no the only way that I can think of Fred for people to prove that they are looking for work is to maybe have proof they have got an interview with a company abroad and they have attended that interview but they can not do that in UK with the volume of people out of work and chasing so few vacancies so yes it’s impossible and I think they will find it an unable task. The way it works in UK at present apparently is that you have to keep a diary of all the jobs you have applied for but when people do not get a reply from a company there is no way of knowing so yes impossible to prove.
UK government are trying to get back as much lost revenue from the welfare departments as they possibly can that’s the crux of the matter Fred.
@reap your so right LOL as they wont find much work in Spain as there is none unless you find a bar or restaurant job for a few months and even if you get the opportunity to manage such an establishment you get paid by the number of drinks you sell or the amount of bums on seats LOL!!!
67 pounds…. ????? Emma is correct. pray tell us how to do it….
Quote “If anyone can tell me how to “enjoy a holiday” and “sun myself” on this coast with 67 pounds a week then I’m all ears!!!”
The whole thing is red-top heaven. It’s Tory divide and conquer,scaremongering nonsense. U.K. benefits have been picked to the bone, there’s very little scope left for “scroungers”. Anyway,why shouldn’t someone starve to death on the Costas as easily as Cornwall? During Thatchers reign, North Sea oil paid for millions of unemployed to clog up the redundant U.K. seaside accommodation. People used to say, “I may as well be out of work here, as in the hole I come from”. Why not? You have to be out of work somewhere. Are European open borders only for certain Europeans? “Nice”ones? Wealthy ones?
Good idea Fred, stop all benefits. Now you’re talking sense! The ‘welfare state’ has ruined the country.
Anna, don’t get too excited. I said “if”. I’m sure even a nice person like yourself would not want to stop all benefits?
So a total of 2000 people left the UK whilst claiming jobseekers, out of a total of 2.65 million unemployed, with no evidence that a single one of them has come to the Costa Del Sol. Until Conservative MP Philip Davies presents some actual facts and figures, I´m going to chalk this up to typical Tory “divide-and-rule” scare mongering.
Enjoying yourself on the costa del sol on £67 per wek, come on, it wouldnt even pay the accomodation….
so what if you go to spain and claim your unemployment benefits, you are not going to live like a king, let alone get accommodation on a whole £67 pound a week, the biggest robbers going are the u.k politicians , ministers claiming expenses to which they were not entitled, pay thousands of pounds to have dinner with david cameron (jobs for the boys), the people going abroad claiming benefits are small fish compared to most of the rogues in office, all hand in glove with the bankers, you should clean your own house up first, start with the whales and leave the tadpoles alone.
Spanish wouldnt give brits jobs anyway, dont the uk know that.
They look after their own unlike us.
Theres nothing wrong with people trying to make a start unless they are just lazy dole bums, no one really inside likes brits they wont help brits, our government is a shambles we let every bit of sh*t in that comes! Im scottish so i aint british i hate the british system bunch of w*nkers
Interesting Craig, if a trifle incoherent. So despite your lot recently voting to stay in the Union, you still don’t regard yourself as British? Don’t you feel lonely?
This thread shows a clear divide between those who know they are Europeans living in Europe and those who want more Americanisation – if your poor it’s your fault, only lazy b ums want hand outs.
Very simple if this is your mentality buy yourself a one way ticket to the USA – and don’t come back.
The totally unjustifiable mass immigration to countries like the UK/Germany/Netherlands et al is good for the profits of big and small business – it was always so but now it is common knowledge that UK society is just a function of business.
The real Europeans on this thread have highlighted very well why the UK was or is becoming a broken society.
£67 per week/WFA – let’s talk about what is really destroying the UK – massive tax evasion between £60-70 billion per year and those who allow this to continue – scum politicians of all hues and the top civil servants in HM Revenue – eg. Vodaphone was allowed to NOT pay over £1 billion in taxes, the man who allowed this to happen then went to work for – an international firm of accountants and all perfectly legal – why does that word smell of effluent.
stefanjo – like so many in the UK you completely miss use the term ‘British’. If you are of Aryan descent – Saxon/Engli/Zeelander/Frieslander/ Danish/Norse or Rus Viking blood you most definately are not British. The word is a bastardisation derived from those of Britonic/Celtic descent, that does’nt include the Gaelic or Belgia Celts either.
Craig might actually be wrong if he is a lowlander – the lowland Scots are descended from ‘the men of the north’ cut off from their Britonic brethren by Saxon hordes invading the northern country, now known as Cumbria and Northumberland.
Also worth mentioning that the ‘English’ along with traitors like Brown and Darling (self interest) bullied and threatened the Scots people with dire consequences if they were to vote for freedom.
The Act of Union was foisted on the Scottish people by Protestant lawyer scum in Edinburgh for little more than handful of silver who did’nt want a Catholic Scots King or Queen – it has absolutely no relevance today and should be treated with contempt.
When the Westminster vermin go back on their promises to the Scots people then you will see a different attitude emerging. Where would you rather get an education or be ill, north or south of an arbitrary border?
Even if starred, it’s amazing such an insulting a comment can be allowed on like ‘we let every bit of sh*t in that comes’
Craig the SNP plonker, sorry old Jock but you are still British, LOL
These old threads are confusing. Any update on this?
i say good luck to them, do you think they are living a life of luxury on £67 pound a week, the mp,s, councilors, of this great country are bleeding this country dry in their so called expenses, they claim more in expenses than somebody who is doing a little bit of work on the side to make ends meet, food banks, pensioners afraid to put their heating on in this day and age, massive handouts to other countries, yes i do work, i still say good luck to them, the other saying is if you cannot beat them join them.
after reading a few of the above comments, why dont you go to spain lay in the sun all week and lead a full wholesome life on £67 pound a week, in fact try living here on £67 pound a week, do you not realize that you are being taken for a ride by the politicians ,ministers, bankers, gas, electricity , not all people out of work are scroungers, perhaps you all do not mind being ripped off by politicians, these people are small fish and doing no one any harm, how many people come from abroad and automatically get benefits , a house, the n h s, they have not even put anything into the system. the people who abuse our system are the so called politicians i did not know i was doing wrong claiming all those expenses i will pay every penny back, its called fraud , except not many of these end up before the courts.