PHOTOGRAPHS of claimants on social welfare cards are included in a package of anti-fraud measures designed to counter huge levels of social welfare fraud to be agreed today by Cabinet.
Ministers are expected to approve a package of proposals from the Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa. The Cabinet is expected to decide that photographs of claimants will appear on social services cards issued to one million recipients of State support.
Following widespread criticism of the Department of Social Welfare for failing to detect abuses which are believed to run to possibly £250 million per annum, the Cabinet will also agree to establish an inter-agency group between the Department of Social Welfare and FAS, the employment body, to co-ordinate data and weed out dual claims.
The Government is also expected to tighten criteria applied to determine if an unemployed person is genuinely seeking work.
The measures accompany today's publication of a Central Statistics Office survey which indicates that almost 44 per cent of live (unemployment) register claimants did not describe their status as unemployed when questioned.
The report also confirms that 28 per cent of the sample surveyed were not living at the addresses given. The CSO compared the unemployment live register with results of the annual Labour Force survey in 2,414 cases.
It is understood that Cabinet will also consider the possibility that charges against alleged fraudsters can be brought in the Circuit Court where more severe penalties could be handed down. At present, cases of social welfare abuse are heard in the District Court where a maximum penalty of £1,000 can be imposed.
More rigorous enforcement off controls is also expected to be put in place by the Department of Social Welfare to avoid the abuses highlighted by the survey published today by the Central Statistics Office. In addition to regular checking controls, visits to the homes of claimants are expected to be stepped up.
It is understood the Government has ruled out an amnesty for those involved in social welfare fraud.
Mr De Rossa discussed his range of proposals with the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, at Government Buildings last night and sought a co-ordinated response from the Coalition parties to the issue. Officials from his department, as well as Finance and Enterprise and Employment, met throughout yesterday to complete a package of proposals and to discuss how the fraud could have continued for so long on such a scale.
Government sources said yesterday they were aware for some time of the discrepancy between the Live Register figures and the Labour Force Survey findings but were completely taken aback by the extent of the abuses.
The CSO report says that in an unexpectedly high percentage of the sample over 11 per cent persons on the live register indicated they had full time jobs, and about three quarters of these indicated that this full time job was a permanent one. This is lower than the 16 per cent figure mentioned in a previous official statement on the findings.
Almost one quarter of the sample of 2,414 cases were classified as not economically active". Of these, three in four indicated that they were not looking for work, nor did they want work, a result which officials are closely examining.
Ten per cent of the sample said they were working part time and just under 4 per cent indicated they were retired. Another 4 per cent said they were students.
Today's report says that in 28 per cent of the cases the live register claimant was not resident at the address given to the Department of Social Welfare.