Fraud on the border
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Inspectors from the Department of Social Welfare will be joining multi-agency roadside checks in the Irish Republic on a permanent basis from this week, following a series of 19 pilot checks conducted earlier this year.
These pilot checks uncovered 118 cases of fraud and saved the Irish Exchequer a total of IRS360,000.
The border area with Northern Ireland was found to have the highest incidence of fraud, with one in every 10 vehicles checked yielding
results for the inspectors.
A number of drivers were found to be working in the South while claiming social welfare in the North; and now agencies on both sides of the border are pooling information on suspected abuses of the system.
The Irish Road Haulage Association, whRe welcoming checks that exposed rogue hauliers and drivers, points out that in some areas the Inspections have caused delays of up to two hours whik investigations were completed.