Madam, - In response to a report in your edition of April 28th on the detection of social welfare fraud, we wish to raise a number of points. Of course the our organisation has always been forthright in its refusal to condone welfare fraud, for we recognise that the tackling of fraud - where it is carried out with the respect for the rights and dignity of all claimants - is in the interests of all genuine claimants.
However, not all dole fraud is about people who are working and illegally signing on. For instance a woman who cannot find childcare for her children and cannot take a job because of this lack of childcare could be charged with "dole fraud" because she is "not available for work". And there are a number of other similar examples.
We are particularly concerned that a spokesperson for the Department of Social and Family Affairs is quoted as saying: "There's a bit of an attitude that it's all right to fiddle the dole or to get a bit more from the social." These comments are inappropriate from a Department whose aim is to support people who depend on social welfare payments and will only serve to further stigmatise unemployed people. We wish the State would show the same vigour in tackling tackle white-collar crime as it appears to have in tackling welfare fraud. - Yours, etc.,
ERIC CONROY,
General Secretary,
Irish National Organisation
of the Unemployed,
North Richmond Street,
Dublin 1.