TAXI DRIVERS, bouncers, landlords, salmon fishermen and greyhound owners were among those targeted in a clampdown on social welfare fraud that resulted in savings of €484 million last year.
Information released under the Freedom of Information Act shows the Department of Social Protection has made extensive use of a legislative provision to seek personal data on hundreds of thousands of individuals from a wide range of bodies in order to match data to social welfare claims.
The records of more than 103,000 landlords were handed over by the Private Residential Tenancies Board; the Private Security Authority provided 32,815 records; the Commission for Taxi Regulation provided information on 26,231 taxi drivers (including 1,666 multiple licence holders); the Personal Injuries Assessment Board provided 12,290 records and the General Registrar’s Office provided 2,589 records of birth re-registrations, where a father’s name was added to a birth certificate.
Bord na gCon, the Irish Greyhound Board, provided details of greyhound winnings on 177 individuals in 2008.
Thousands of these records were used to conduct social welfare investigations.
In many cases, the individuals whose details were handed over would not have been aware it was being sought by welfare officials.
The Department of Social Protection said it could not break down the total savings made as a result of the requests to each body under Section 261 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act.
In the case of the Private Security Authority, though, records received in 2008 resulted in savings of €0.94 million.
Data provided by the Commission for Taxi Regulation last year resulted in savings of €1.03 million.
It said the information requests to other departments and agencies were considered “a vital tool” in reducing losses resulting from fraud and error.
Figures provided to Fine Gael’s spokesman on social protection Michael Ring show that overpayments of €316 million were made in relation to welfare schemes over the past six years, including more than €65 million last year alone.
The department told him the overpayments were due to fraud, to failure by people to report a change in their circumstances and to departmental errors.
Mr Ring said the target of €615.5 million in savings last year had not been met. He said if the Government concentrated on tackling fraud, it would not have to seek cuts in order to make savings “on the back of the poor and the elderly”.
The Department of Social Protection also routinely receives data feeds from colleges in order to process grants, as well as from bodies such as the Irish Prison Service, the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the Revenue Commissioners.
Data results that led to investigation
Agencies from which the Department of Social Protection obtained data for its investigations into welfare fraud from 2008 to 2010. (Where records matched a welfare claim it was investigated).
Private Residential Tenancies Board (Information on landlords)
Records received:In excess of 103,000; landlords matched to social welfare claims: 3,380
Private Security Authority (Information on door/security staff/bouncers)
Records received:32,815; matches to social welfare claims: 9,009
Bord na gCon (Irish Greyhound Board (Information on winnings in greyhound racing)
Records received:177; matches to social welfare claims: 12
Commission for Taxi Regulation
Records received:26,231 (includes 1,666 multiple licence holders); number matched to social welfare claims: 1,858 (including 83 multiple licence holders)
Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal (Information on payments made to people who have suffered a crime-related injury)
Records received:41; matches to social welfare claims: 18
Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Information on payments to people who have suffered a personal injury)
Number of records received:12,290; matches to social welfare claims: 2,950
General Registrar’s Office (Information on birth re-registrations – where a father’s name is added to a birth certificate)
Records received:2,589; Number matched to social welfare claims: 876