ANALYSIS:The public are increasingly contacting authorities over welfare fraud
HATRED OF informers has been burned into the Irish psyche over many generations but times are changing, it seems.
A dramatic shift in attitude is resulting in the once-loathed concept of “snitching” becoming more and more culturally acceptable, as demonstrated by escalating yearly tallies of suspected social welfare fraud tip-offs.
The public are increasingly contacting the authorities to allege instances of abuse of the benefits system by their neighbours and acquaintances, with email the favoured form of reporting these days.
A total of 16,142 anonymous reports were received by the Department of Social Protection up to November this year, a massive jump from the 621 tip-offs recorded back in 2005.
The 6,429 reports in 2009 represented a six-fold increase on the previous year, and that figure almost doubled in 2010 to 12,648. The leaps make it difficult not to conclude that the economic downturn has had an impact on people’s sense of fair play, leading to an eradication of the belief that bending bureaucratic rules is a “victimless crime”.
Clamping down on social welfare fraud is a delicate area for a Labour Party Minister as Joan Burton has discovered. On the one hand, she is mocked by members of the Opposition for portraying herself in the media as “the queen of anti-fraud measures”.
On the other, some fear her cost-saving initiatives may give free rein to those who indulge in ignorant and offensive talk about “deadbeat dads”, “scroungers” and “spongers”.
Ms Burton concedes that a cultural shift in attitude to informing may have taken place, but prefers to believe that the change is motivated by a benign belief that limited resources should be used for the benefit of those who need them most.
Estimates of potential savings vary wildly and it is important to state that success in uncovering abuse is difficult to measure because details are not recorded separately from other fraud-control measures.
Fianna Fáil’s Dara Calleary is among those who have cautioned against overstating the problem, while conceding that politicians do have a role. While they need not be whistleblowers, they should at least not facilitate breaches of the law.
“Public representatives know that some of those who come to our offices are not entitled to social welfare benefits. Perhaps we must collectively decide to tell such people that they do not have an entitlement and refuse to deal with their case,” he said.
