Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin confirmed the problem was so serious it had been raised at a formal meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council by her SDLP counterpart Margaret Ritchie. The minister also noted that this activity “wasn’t confined to Donegal but was a feature of all border counties”. She also said: “We were always conscious of the problem because our rates have always been more generous, but the collapse of the sterling differential poses a new challenge to everyone to be even more vigilant.”
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