Social Welfare reporting figues are 16,000 this year!

LighterGuy · 28-12-2011 07:02PM #1

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1228/welfare.html

Figures from the department show the level of reporting has risen from just over 579 in 2006 to over 16,000 this year.
With an annual bill of over €20bn, the Government has been strongly targeting welfare fraud as a means of saving money.
Its means of doing so has included appealing to the public for assistance and the new figures suggest the strategy has been a success.
The majority of reports about fraud were for working and claiming which accounted for just over 7,000 cases. 831 of the reports concerned individuals suspected of claiming here while living abroad.
Of the 16,000 tip-offs this year, in 12,304 cases a report of suspected fraud was sent to an inspector for follow-up action.
On the other 3,838 tip-offs, no report was issued due to a "lack of information, no claim being in payment or the information reported would not impact on entitlement," the department said.

The estimated potential savings from clamping down on welfare fraud vary from €500m to €20m in a single year.
The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Brian Hayes, has said the Government is determined to make savings in the order of €500m next year through its continued crackdown on welfare fraud.
He said the public response was indicative a sense of "fair play" in Irish people and a recognition that when 40% of the total Budget expenditure was in the area of social protection, it was wrong that fraud should be tolerated.
He said it was crucial that information be given and followed-up so that action can be taken against those who were defrauding the State.

16,000 reports in 2011. Just over 579 reports in 2006. Obviously more people of the social now than 2006 - so more people frauding etc. But even then, over 3,000 reports were made falsely.

Geez, Irish people are a bunch of begruders. Such reports just confirm this for me.

Jarren · 28-12-2011 07:04PM

Fair Play

Stinicker · 28-12-2011 07:07PM

Good job to catch those welfare cheats, Sean Fitzpatrick & Bertie Ahern must be laughing at all us proles squabbling over who gets the crumbs from the table. While they laugh away with their fat bonuses and ill gotten money.

mike65 · 28-12-2011 07:07PM

LighterGuy wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1228/welfare.html

16,000 reports in 2011. Just over 579 reports in 2006. Obviously more people of the social now than 2006 - so more people frauding etc. But even then, over 3,000 reports were made falsely.

Geez, Irish people are a bunch of begruders. Such reports just confirm this for me.

Begruders? You wouldn't say that if you were mugged! Its pretty much the same thing.

Biggins · 28-12-2011 07:10PM

Considering 70,000 approx left the county this year in one direction or another - it could have been a lot higher!

previous user · 28-12-2011 07:10PM

Plenty of jobs in Mcdonalds.

My name is URL · 28-12-2011 07:14PM

I wonder what percentage of reported cases turn out to be genuinely fraudulent claims, and how much money is wasted on investigating the rest.

It's great that people are reporting suspected fraud but it wouldn't be necessary if the SW system was efficient and thorough in how it functions. They shouldn't be relying on the public to put an end to abuse.

Kensington · 28-12-2011 07:17PM

It's not begrudgery at all.

Would you report a robbery?
Because that's essentially what social welfare fraud is.

jammstarr · 28-12-2011 07:21PM

previous user wrote: »

Plenty of jobs in Mcdonalds.

I burnt that bridge years ago alas.

AnonoBoy · 28-12-2011 07:23PM

LighterGuy wrote: »

Geez, Irish people are a bunch of begruders. Such reports just confirm this for me.

Awwww is somebody still a ickle bit angry that he got ratted out by his friends?

Biggins · 28-12-2011 07:25PM

Stinicker wrote: »

Good job to catch those welfare cheats, Sean Fitzpatrick & Bertie Ahern must be laughing at all us proles squabbling over who gets the crumbs from the table. While they laugh away with their fat bonuses and ill gotten money.

Indeed!

http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/pensions/backbench-pensions-bonanza-euro50000-a-year-for-life-2973776.html

mathepac · 28-12-2011 07:41PM

LighterGuy wrote: »

... But even then, over 3,000 reports were made falsely...

Where did you get that figure and how do you know they were made falsely?

hooradiation · 28-12-2011 07:46PM

mathepac wrote: »

Where did you get that figure and how do you know they were made falsely?

Using my eyes to read the words, I have solved this mystery.

On the other 3,838 tip-offs, no report was issued due to a "lack of information, no claim being in payment or the information reported would not impact on entitlement," the department said.

I am a dammed magician.

marketty · 28-12-2011 07:49PM

LighterGuy wrote: »

16,000 reports in 2011. Just over 579 reports in 2006.
Geez, Irish people are a bunch of begruders. Such reports just confirm this for me.

Just over 579? Would that be 580?

And yes I do begrudge people fleecing the system. I work and pay a lot of tax, my girlfriend is unemployed at the minute and gets nothing because she is means tested on my income, even though we're not married. Money is tight but we can hold our heads up and say we are making do by ourselves rather than making false claims like so many do

44leto · 28-12-2011 07:49PM

They should offer an anonymous reward of say 500 to those that report someone who was later proven to be a fraudster.

Agricola · 28-12-2011 07:50PM

Stinicker wrote: »

Good job to catch those welfare cheats, Sean Fitzpatrick & Bertie Ahern must be laughing at all us proles squabbling over who gets the crumbs from the table. While they laugh away with their fat bonuses and ill gotten money.

Exactly. No one really gave a shít about welfare fraud back in the good old days of 5 years ago. We were all too busy building houses, booking our third foreign holiday of the year and ordering our SUV.
"Sure there loadsa a money around anyway isnt there? What difference if a few people cheat the system, the main thing is Im doing ok and I don't really care"

Skip forward to 2011 and suddenly all these people who can't afford their mortgage repayments, their holidays and their new SUV have become good upstanding citizens and want to root out welfare fraud!
Begrudgery is alive and well. It never went away.

Helix · 28-12-2011 07:50PM

hooradiation wrote: »

Using my eyes to read the words, I have solved this mystery.

I am a dammed magician.

that doesnt say they were made falsely though

saa · 28-12-2011 07:52PM

previous user wrote: »

Plenty of jobs in Mcdonalds.

Sarcasm, heh how amusing.

44leto · 28-12-2011 07:59PM

Agricola wrote: »

Exactly. No one really gave a shít about welfare fraud back in the good old days of 5 years ago. We were all too busy building houses, booking our third foreign holiday of the year and ordering our SUV.
"Sure there loadsa a money around anyway isnt there? What difference if a few people cheat the system, the main thing is Im doing ok and I don't really care"

Skip forward to 2011 and suddenly all these people who can't afford their mortgage repayments, their holidays and their new SUV have become good upstanding citizens and want to root out welfare fraud!
Begrudgery is alive and well. It never went away.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

So what are they to do to reduce the deficit, are those people you posted about in 2011 who can't afford their lifestyle in this economy to pay even higher taxes to support the current levels of welfare fraud.

I say get the cheating bastards and I said that when the economy was good.

hooradiation · 28-12-2011 08:00PM

Helix wrote: »

that doesnt say they were made falsely though

I'm wondering what other conclusion you could draw from that.

If the accusations led to nothing on the grounds that there was a "lack of information, no claim being in payment or the information reported would not impact on entitlement" then what else could they be but false?

Helix · 28-12-2011 08:03PM

hooradiation wrote: »

I'm wondering what other conclusion you could draw from that.

If the accusations led to nothing on the grounds that there was a "lack of information, no claim being in payment or the information reported would not impact on entitlement" then what else could they be but false?

they may have a valid claim, but not enough information to prove it. they may have thought they had a valid claim, but didn't. they may have reported something that was actually allowed

the suggestion that they're false claims make it seem like you reckon people are out to screw people over with knowingly inaccurate information or something

they can be legitimate claims and still not actually amount to anything

fat__tony · 28-12-2011 08:06PM

LighterGuy wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1228/welfare.html

16,000 reports in 2011. Just over 579 reports in 2006. Obviously more people of the social now than 2006 - so more people frauding etc. But even then, over 3,000 reports were made falsely.

Geez, Irish people are a bunch of begruders. Such reports just confirm this for me.

Begrudging people who possibly/probably steal taxpayers money from the public purse??

Get a grip.

mcmoustache · 28-12-2011 08:15PM

Dole cheats take money from those who are legitimately entitled to be on it. They also take money from hospitals, the police, schools and pensions.
Trying to justify their behaviour by accusing their detracters of begrudgery is pathetic.

cooperguy · 28-12-2011 08:16PM

Agricola wrote: »

Exactly. No one really gave a shít about welfare fraud back in the good old days of 5 years ago. We were all too busy building houses, booking our third foreign holiday of the year and ordering our SUV.
"Sure there loadsa a money around anyway isnt there? What difference if a few people cheat the system, the main thing is Im doing ok and I don't really care"

Skip forward to 2011 and suddenly all these people who can't afford their mortgage repayments, their holidays and their new SUV have become good upstanding citizens and want to root out welfare fraud!
Begrudgery is alive and well. It never went away.

What the hell are you on about!!

Who's Begrudging who??

SteedIrl · 28-12-2011 08:50PM

44leto wrote: »

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

So what are they to do to reduce the deficit, are those people you posted about in 2011 who can't afford their lifestyle in this economy to pay even higher taxes to support the current levels of welfare fraud.

I say get the cheating bastards and I said that when the economy was good.

I don't know! Perhaps the government could start with austerity for all instead of austerity for the paupers.

The nation is told to tighten our belts for austerity while they dip into the coffers to loosen their belts,
Ie. Expense increases
Over paying advisors because of the Loreal they're worth it effect.

fedor.2. · 28-12-2011 08:59PM

mcmoustache wrote: »

Dole cheats take money from those who are legitimately entitled to be on it. They also take money from hospitals, the police, schools and pensions.
Trying to justify their behaviour by accusing their detracters of begrudgery is pathetic.

Thats quiet the stretch. How much money do you think is being lost to fraud exactly??? Silly Irish, a magicians wet dream, we are easily misdirected

Amirani · 28-12-2011 09:17PM

fedor.2. wrote: »

Thats quiet the stretch. How much money do you think is being lost to fraud exactly??? Silly Irish, a magicians wet dream, we are easily misdirected

Perhaps 500mil based on the reports. Almost enough to pay for the entirety of the new National Children's Hospital. Or enough to employ about 14000 people on the average industrial wage. Not an insignificant amount I'm sure you'll agree.

Liam Byrne · 28-12-2011 09:26PM

We were all too busy building houses, booking our third foreign holiday of the year and ordering our SUV.

What a load of rubbish!

fedor.2. · 28-12-2011 09:32PM

Id rather the department sorted out the amount of overpayments they issue, plus the other costs incurred by inefficient work practices, both of which cost as much, if not more, than fraud. Of course fraudsters should be caught and punished, but lets not take our eye off the bigger picture.

44leto · 28-12-2011 09:40PM

SteedIrl wrote: »

I don't know! Perhaps the government could start with austerity for all instead of austerity for the paupers.

The nation is told to tighten our belts for austerity while they dip into the coffers to loosen their belts,
Ie. Expense increases
Over paying advisors because of the Loreal they're worth it effect.

What are you on about??

As for expense account that is legal and they are entitled to claim expenses as most are in any job.

What they are going after is criminals, plain and simple, criminals who are taking from all of us.

LighterGuy · 28-12-2011 09:41PM

cooperguy wrote: »

What the hell are you on about!!

Who's Begrudging who??

I agree with Agricola.
And to answer your question, people are begruding people.
Times are different now. Rewind 6 years ago. Average person was happy in a job. People werent caring about what others got... as they were working away making money.

Skip to present day. So many unemployed. Alot of people feeling the pinch. Now peoples attentions are focusing onto others with money and whos still making money. Im sure you have heard various unemployed people moaning about someone having a job, right? .. "the lucky bastard" - "he wouldnt work in a fit" etc. That being begrudery.

But begrudery is in all ways now. To a person on the social claiming 2 euro more. To a person getting a nixer. To a person 'frauding' (be it social or any other) ... to a person working in the public sector. its all money related. That another is getting something "they are not"

... but rewind 6 years ago? ... where was all this out cry to the above?

Social Welfare reporting figues are 16,000 this year!

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