Controversial presidential election candidate Peter Casey is set to ramp up his campaign today after a wobble over the backlash to his comments about the Travelling community.

However, the businessman is at the centre of fresh criticism over his suggestion that Ireland has become a "welfare state".

Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty has accused the former 'Dragons' Den' investor of "breath-taking ignorance".

Writing an open letter in the 'Sunday Independent', Mr Casey took aim at what he sees as Ireland becoming a "nation of people who expect - no, demand - that the State looks after them".

His latest intervention comes less than a week after the Derry man found himself at the centre of a storm over comments he made about Travellers in an interview with Independent.ie's 'Floating Voter' podcast, which were branded racist and led to calls from him to withdraw.

Mr Casey has since doubled down on his belief that Travellers should not be recognised as a distinct ethnic minority - a status awarded by the State last year.

However, he has denied that his remarks were racist and admitted he did not know the State had formally recognised Travellers as an ethnic minority when he dismissed the status as "nonsense".

He claimed that he decided not to pull out of the race after a swell of private support from people over the weekend.

He will meet his campaign team today to discuss his strategy for the final week of the election campaign.

Mr Casey could not be reached for comment by his team last night.

He attended the Derry County Football Championship final at Celtic Park yesterday.

Ms Doherty has called on Mr Casey to clarify his remarks about social welfare in Ireland.

The minister, who is co-ordinating Fine Gael's campaign for Michael D Higgins's re-election, called on Mr Casey to outline who he "wants to target for less welfare".

"Would it be pensioners, who are the single biggest block of recipients, or maybe lone parents who, in the main, are women trying to raise families on their own?

"Or maybe he wishes to target people living with disabilities or carers or children? Exactly which group should get less?" she asked, before going on to add: "On this topic, as with others, his ignorance is breath-taking."

In his open letter, Mr Casey noted that "there are many people very vulnerable in this country, who are disabled, elderly, in care or for whatever reason, can't work; they deserve every penny in support, if not more."

However, he claimed: "But Ireland is slowly becoming a welfare-dependent state, with a sense of entitlement that's become unaffordable."

Mr Casey hit out at "socialist politicians" who he said were focusing on welfare and social housing at the expense of "the mortgage-payers and the taxpayers".

"Where is the incentive to work in this country? We have become a nation of people who expect, no demand, that the State looks after them. [It] Pays all their bills, provides them with homes, provides all sorts of social benefits."

Irish Independent