Search Results for 'Welfare fraud'

The Department of Social Protection has taken a further step to crack down on social welfare cheats in Galway. A member of the Gardai has been seconded into the Department’s Special Investigations Unit and will take specific responsibility for preventing welfare fraud in the city and county.

A 68-year-old man in Castlebar is to face 121 charges relating to alleged social welfare fraud.

If social welfare fraud is to be properly tackled tougher punishments, other than just paying back money owed needs to be introduced.

A Polish man who works as a chef in Castlebar, who signed on for social welfare benefits of a friend of his who had returned to Poland, was sentenced to six months in prison at Claremorris District Court this week.

Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on social protection, Senator Nicky McFadden, says that if the Minister focussed on meeting social welfare fraud targets, pain for the most vulnerable in society could be spared.

Claims by Deputy Michael Ring that social welfare fraudsters are “having a field day” have been disputed.

Social Welfare fraudsters are having a field-day as the Government scales back efforts to tackle social welfare fraud, according to Fine Gael Social Protection Spokesman Michael Ring.

A man who used a false name to apply for social welfare has been fined €1,500.

As Budget 2010 looms and fears intensify about how financially worse off the Irish citizen will be following its implementation, one area which needs to be policed more vigourously is benefit fraud. The State is losing hundreds of millions of euro each year through social welfare fraud.

Speaking on the Social Welfare Pensions Bill which would implement the Budget cuts, Fine Gael Longford/Westmeath Senator, Nicky McFadden, said the most vulnerable people in Ireland have been forced to take the hit while the administration costs of running the State remain untouched and social welfare fraud is also left unchecked.