Following a controversial remark from Judge Mary Devins about social welfare in Ireland being a "Polish charity," statistics reveal that 25% of Polish nationals living in Ireland are now on the dole

Currently, 100,162 Polish immigrants of working age are resident in Ireland and 23,905, or just under a quarter of these, are receiving some form of Jobseeker's Allowance or Benefit. Significantly, the statistics also reveal that whilst Polish citizens constitute 3.3% of the population aged between 15 and 64, they account for 4.39% of claimants of unemployment schemes that are open to the working population.