THE Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) has criticised elements of the Government's anti-social welfare fraud initiative.
The INOU, in a statement yesterday, said the measure is "convincing with regard to tackling systematic working-and-signing".
The INOU reiterated its support for measures to identify people who are in full-time work and claiming unemployment payments.
However, it warned that the measures must not damage the interests of the vast majority of genuine unemployed people. The organisation was critical of the response to what it called "discouraged workers".
It said the initiative "ignores the policies" set out by the National Economic and Social Forum and the Task Force on Long-term Unemployment which deal with people who despair of ever finding work again.
The organisation welcomed the Government's commitment to visit 9,000 employers by the end of this year and to increase the penalties for those engaged in fraudulent practices.
Mr Harry Marsden, head of the INOU's welfare rights section, said: "We also welcome the commitment to inform new claimants about the range of support measures now available to the unemployed. The realisation of this commitment, however, will require a much increased level of training for departmental staff.
"In many cases we find that Department of Social Welfare staff are ill-informed about the measures which have been introduced to assist the unemployed," Mr Marsden stated.
"The truth is that they are often not well placed to brief people about the schemes that exist because they don't know enough details themselves.
"The big question is how the Department will carry out these interviews," he said.
"If it is a return to Jobsearch," he claimed, "it will destroy the credibility of the supportive measure which FAS and the Department of Social Welfare introduced over recent years."
He said the organisation's "greatest cause of concern" was the decision to make the acceptance of appropriate training and employment opportunities compulsory. "This is a direct contradiction of the policy proposed by both the NESF and the Task Force on Long-term Unemployment," he claimed.
Meanwhile, a call by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Richard Bruton, for the immediate introduction of a national identity card scheme in order to curb social welfare fraud was supported by the Vintners' Federation of Ireland yesterday. Such a scheme would have the dual effect of curbing social welfare abuse and also help to police under-age drinking, according to the federation.
Mr Paul O'Grady, president of the VFI, said: "A State identity card could not be forged and would soon become an acceptable way to operate a whole array of activities, such as social welfare claims, driver's licence, PRSI as well as the purchase of alcohol."
He added that voluntary schemes set up by publicans and gardai in different areas will never be as effective as a nationally enforced scheme because "they have their limitations, not least because of the ability to forge them, but also because people can easily move to a town or village in which they are not operated".
He also pointed out that Sections 40 and 47 of the 1988 Intoxicating Liquor Act provide for the introduction of an ID card scheme.
Mr O'Grady believes "a compulsory identity card scheme, operated on a national basis, and strictly enforced by the State, would definitely restrict teenagers from drinking."