Special investigations in Donegal
Deputy Conaghan questioned claims of higher fraud in border areas and said special investigators were harassing recipients in Donegal, asking that investigations be scaled back. The Minister defended staff, called for specific complaints to be examined, and said enforcement must be balanced against demands for both more and less surveillance.
In view of the allegations that fraud is higher in Border areas, I should like to know if the Minister has any information on his file to prove that. If not, will the Minister agree to scale down the intensive investigation by the special investigators, particularly in the Donegal region where unemployment is highest in the country and where these investigations are currently amounting to a degree of harassment of social welfare recipients, with officers of the Minister's Department exceeding their authority in relation to the carrying out of these special tigations. Would the Minister not agree that the whole approach of these special investigators must be examined because the stage has now been reached when it is no longer investigation but harassment?
Comment on this
Deputy Conaghan has in fact replied to the last part of Deputy McCarthy's supplementary question when he asked for additional staff to monitor the whole social welfare system. As I have said many times before, it is a question of maintaining a balance. Here we have two Deputies on the opposite side of the House, one calling for more surveillance, stricter controls, more people recruited and the other requesting that the investigators be called off. That illustrates the type of two-way approach we encounter, with different views on the matter. I am not critical of that, I am merely pointing out the difficulties. We have recruited additional staff in this area but there is a limit to what they can do. If there are any instances of what Deputy Conaghan regards as unjust or unfair treatment of any individual, if he will bring them to our attention, we will have them investigated.
Comment on this
It is unfair to make general accusations along those lines. It is unfair to the social welfare staff who have an extremely difficult job to do and who are obviously under extreme pressure judging from the types of reports in the media referred to by Deputy McCarthy.
It is very difficult for them to do their job under that kind of pressure. When Deputies make allegations against social welfare officials I should like them to be specific so that we could have such cases examined and dealt with.