What was most shocking in TV3’s programme ‘Fiddling the System’ was the complete disregard the welfare cheats had for their fellow citizens.

Welfare fraud is a criminal act that damages communal cohesion and concepts of fairness within society, this illegal, selfish behaviour should never be  tolerated, but especially now when resources are scarce.

RTE’s Prime Time Investigates programme in December 2009 estimated that between one in ten and one in seven social welfare payments could be fraudulent, costing the taxpayer between €2.2 billion and €3 billion per year. We have to stop this.

At best there is a 90% accuracy rate on social welfare payments in Ireland. By setting up Centrelink (a single agency dealing with social welfare payments), Australia managed to increased accuracy to 95%. If Ireland could achieve similar levels of accuracy, we could achieve €1 billion in fraud savings.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) call in April 2011 for a social welfare fraud unit, modelled on the Criminal Assets Bureau, to be set up is an excellent idea and should be adopted by the Govt as a matter of urgency.

The low life called “Aidan” who replied “fuck them” about the tax payers he is robbing is precisely the type of criminal a welfare version of CAB needs to go after.

Joan Burton has promised much, and is correct when she states we “cannot afford to have passengers in the (welfare) system”, regretably to date all the hard pressed tax payer has received is words, not action.

The Department of Social Welfare operates a confidential help line on (01) 704 3000. They can also be contacted by email at central.control@welfare.ie or you can write to them at The Central Control Section, Shannon Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim