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A NEW HARD-HITTING campaign is being launched to encourage members of the public to blow the whistle on welfare fraud.
Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar is launching the campaign today.
The adverts are designed to confront people with the reality of welfare fraud and aim to persuade people to report any knowledge they have about specific cases to the Department of Social Protection.
It’s estimated that last year suspected fraud overpayments of Jobseeker’s Allowance cost €14 million.
Minister Varadkar said today:
The vast majority of people receiving payments from the Department of Social Protection are fully entitled to those payments and are compliant with the conditions. However, we take fraud very seriously and have a responsibility to taxpayers to ensure that people receive what they are entitled to. Nothing upsets people more than someone else cheating the system at their expense. That’s why we are launching a new campaign to encourage members of the public to report suspected or known cases of welfare fraud.
He said that last year some 20,800 allegations of alleged social welfare fraud were dealt with by the Department.
“These are investigated and where warranted, payments are reduced or stopped and, in some cases, claimants are prosecuted,” he said. “Overall, a range of anti-fraud and control measures in the Department of Social Protection saved taxpayers over €500 million last year.”
The majority of public reports in 2016 concerned Jobseekers Schemes, Supplementary Welfare Allowance and One Parent Family Payments.
The most common reports allege issues such as working while claiming, cohabiting with a partner who is making a financial contribution, or claiming while living abroad.
The Department estimates that approximately one in three reports results in a payment being reduced or stopped.
Last year, the Department’s Prosecution Service considered some 300 cases of which 194 were referred to the Chief State Solicitor’s Office for proceedings to issue. A further 160 cases were referred for prosecution to the DPP by the Department’s Special Investigations Unit.
Minister Varadkar said that the Department of Social Protection has the single biggest budget of any Government Department, spending €19 billion every year.
“Last year, 1.4 million people received a weekly social welfare payment. Even with a budget of this size, there are still many positive changes I would like to make but have been unable to do so due to budgetary constraints,” he said. “That’s why savings are so important. And that’s why the public has a vital role in ensuring that we only target resources at those who most need them.”
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The Department of Social Protection has rolled out new initiatives to tackle welfare fraud such as the introduction of a modern debt management system.
A special investigation unit, consisting of trained inspectors and Garda officers, also operate in the department, tasked to identify more serious breaches.
Varadkar said his department has also deployed identity and analytics software and other intelligence systems to reinforce its fraud prevention work.
The new advertising campaign asks questions such as: ‘Would you report a welfare cheat?’
The adverts are designed to make people sit up and think about the issue, and take action if they do have information, said a department spokesperson.
The minister said members of the public play an important role in supporting anti-fraud activities, with concerned citizens making 19,000 reports in 2016.
Every year thousands of allegations of welfare fraud are made to the department. Some of these transpire to be genuine cases and result in payments being suspended.
The payments are recovered if the case is genuine and some cases also merit prosecution.
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Confidential reports can be made using:
Overall, the department conducts around one million claim reviews annually.
Varadkar said the continued roll-out of the Public Services Card, which gives people access a range of public services, has considerably reduced the potential for identity fraud.
The minister said he wants to strengthen the legislative provisions to deter abuse of the social welfare system, including publishing the names of persons who are prosecuted for social welfare fraud
He also aims to apply interest on overpayments resulting from fraud.
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Hailo raised it percentage take and lost taxi drivers.
When was that?just curious
Hailo charge 12% commisssion, that’s it. No €79.00 or €99.00 a week with Citycabs/Global/Lynk.
Still has over half the Dublin fleet at 7,000+
Hailo will lose more drivers if they keep uping the aunty with price and rules silly rules !
You can’t up an “Aunty”, well maybe you can. Upping the ante is another thing. lol
They do take credit card but yes you do have to sign up first
They lost me when they stooped the use of their credit card facilities for non bailout jobs/customers it was extremely handy
What is a non bailout job or customer
I think he misspelled it ……..its meant to read non hailo jobs as in you used to be able to take credit card jobs of the street now the customer has to download the app if they want to pay by card…….stupid idea from hailo…
Hailo have added the option to pre book now so that’s not a unique feature for lynk
Hailo had to add that feature because it was the next step …….and to keep up with other apps that have that feature before them ….e.g…cab:app
My husband left a cab company recently. The company sold the controlling share to the guy named above. They thought that they could sell the drivers rent as part of the business package, (Approx’ €5K per year),forgetting that the drivers hire the cab company to supply them with work, and they work for the driver. Not wanting any association withthe new owners, he fired them.
He wondered why, as he calls it “the Weakest Lynk”, chose the exact same colour branding as Hailo? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I suppose.
Lynk taxis. €25 free sign up. €5 per journey if you pay by card but wait there’s a €3 booking fee before you sit in the taxi. It is removed after you use your “free” €25. So, free €10 sign up.
They can’t charge €3 for booking ! €2 is max Hailo don’t charge for booking
They do. I got a taxi that usually costs less than €5 and cost me over €8. Minus the “five” free. When you contact them they say that is taken off when your €25 is up.
I always use the lynk app ( Irish owned company)
To be fair Hailo was set up by 3 guys one Irish
it was set up back 3 London black cab drivers
have your say