A chara, - It is with deep frustration - if not complete surprise - that we learn about the apparent deluge of social welfare fraud perpetrated in this State, which was highlighted by the recent; CSO survey. We in Ogra FF"! DNW wish to draw attention to the damaging effects that this multi million pound deception has on the Irish economy and our social system.
One impact of this theft is that those people who rightfully deserve benefits merely to survive can be universally labelled with those who are committing this fraud in our constituency, there are chronic unemployment blackspots in Ballymun and parts of Finglas where people - through little fault of their own - are unable to find employment because there is little or no investment in these or surrounding areas.
For these people, the weekly benefits are the only thing that keeps them marginally above the poverty line. This disadvantaged section of our community is also losing out in this affair, as they are being denied training places to improve their skills and possible benefit increases because scarce funds are consumed by the welfare cheats.
As well as denying the reallocation of resources to many needy causes, the fraudsters are denying the rest of the taxpaying public "he chance of significant reductions in personal taxation. If some of these resources could be diverted into tackling the tax wedge, then this would permeate the economy, making it much more attractive for people to enter into the labour force.
Mr Pronsias De Rossa, our valiant Minister for Social Welfare and fellow constituent, deserves a special mention in the debate on this issue. Mr De Rossa expressed apparent shock at the extent of the social welfare theft that was being carried out under his very nose.
Much as we wish to believe that the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues we're on the verge of collective cardiac arrest upon the receipt of the CSO survey, we cannot help but feel that he and they have employed the tactics of "hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil" in their approach to detecting benefit fraud during Mr De Rossa's tenure at the department. Mr De Rossa did, after all, declare last year that he believed the controls used to detect abuses of the system to be sound, and the level of abuse to be low. Indeed, as was reported recently, he felt so content at the situation that he reduced resources for the fraud detection unit within his own department.
The Minister will undoubtedly retort that he and his department have recently initiated a process of fraud detection beginning in County Donegal - a place not exactly known for its Democratic Left fanaticism, we note - and promises to spread this detection process to other counties. However, given his track record on this issue, we suspect that his promised relentless pursuit of the welfare cheats will be less in the manner of Elliot Ness, but rather more in the line of inspector Clueso.
Of course, this debacle will not stop Mr De Rossa approaching his Cabinet colleagues to advance the welfare state further in the next Budget. We, and many others, hope that he is told to look in his own department for extra money before he is allowed further access to funds that can be used to fight crime, or, to improve the health or education systems. Alternatively, it can be allocated to reducing the massive tax burden on the PAYE sector and other taxpayers, who always seem to be left to foot the bill for the misdemeanours of others. - is mise, le meas,
Chairperson, Ogra FF
Dublin North West,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 11.