The Department of Social Protection has confirmed that 104 cases of Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) have been stopped as a result of checks carried out at airports.
The Department said 44 other social welfare payments, including jobseeker's payments and means-assessed payments, have also been closed down since 7 July.
In a statement, the Department of Social Protection said the advice from Government remains that "it is safer to stay at home this summer".
The €350 PUP is paid to those who are actively seeking work.
"It is not paid to people who go on holidays abroad or when they are going through their 14-day quarantine period," according to the department.
A spokesperson said cases will be considered if someone receiving the PUP has to travel abroad for urgent or exceptional reasons.
The department said officials conduct regular inspections on passengers travelling through airports.
These include interviews with customers by trained investigators, audits of employers' PRSI records, specialist investigations and joint inquiries and operations with other agencies such as Revenue and gardaí.
They also include multi-agency checkpoints and checks at airports.
Speaking on RTÉ's The Week In Politics, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said it was his understanding that in order to receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, you have to be "seeking work and resident in Ireland and not travelling abroad".
Speaking on #rtetwip Tánaiste @LeoVaradkar says "the Department of Social Protection gets information from the airports and if somebody is not genuinely seeking work or is not living in the country anymore their welfare payments can be stopped". #rtenews pic.twitter.com/TgkVo6kdSx
— The Week in Politics (@rtetwip) July 26, 2020
He said the department gets information from airports if someone is travelling.
