The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed has met officials from the Department of Social Community and Family Affairs to object to new legislation which gives social welfare officers the power to question people stopped at Garda checkpoints. The decisions about where the checkpoints are set up and which vehicles are stopped are made by the Garda, although usually commercial vehicles are selected.
The Garda checks for road traffic legislation requirements, Customs staff check for illegal imports and the Department staff ask for workers' PRSI numbers and other relevant information. They can check both self-employment status and signing on.
The INOU claimed that its own findings suggested that the powers conferred on the Department were excessive but the head of the Department's regional services section said that no one who was genuinely unemployed would be affected.
