TWENTY Gardaí will be assigned to a special unit that will lead a widespread crackdown on social welfare fraudsters in Limerick this summer.
The Gardaí are being drafted in to the Social Welfare Department’s Special Investigations Unit as part of a pilot programme to help stamp out fraudulent claims in the city and county.
In 2013 the Department focused on minimising social welfare fraud and abuse with over one million reviews carried out nationwide, achieving control savings of €632 million. There were also 674 social welfare fraud cases processed through the courts system last year.
“The vast majority of social welfare customers receive only the payment to which they are entitled. But in cases where overpayments arise whether through fraud or error, it is important that these monies are recovered so that the social welfare budget is managed appropriately and the money is there for those who need it,” said Social Protection Minister Joan Burton.
Fine Gael TD for Limerick, Patrick O’Donovan, welcomed news that the scheme would be piloted in Limerick as he believes it is about “supporting the majority of people who are law abiding and who use the social welfare system as intended”.
And he is confident that by carrying out multi-agency checks, those abusing the system will be caught.
“The majority of people claiming or applying for social welfare support are more than entitled to it. Thousands of people have found themselves out of work or in need of support and this is precisely what the system is for,” he explained.
“There are however a lot of people who are playing the system and who are claiming money they are not entitled to. There are people working off the books and there are those taking part in welfare tourism. These people are putting their hand in your pocket,” he added.
