Brian kearney presentation october 12th 2

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL PROTECTION

Special Investigation Unit and Control of Illicit Trade

Brian Kearney ManagerSpecial Investigation UnitCork-Kerry-Limerick

Expenditure €20 BILLION 1.4 MILLION weekly payments- .5 million

Child Benefit monthly 87 million payments in 2012 2m applications made in 2012 8.4m telephone calls answered 1 million control reviews carried out 7200 staff at 470 locations

Social Welfare ....is BIG Business

Special Investigation Unit

PREVENT –DETECT- DETER SOCIAL WELFARE FRAUD

89 Social Welfare Inspectors working exclusively on fraud countrywide

Black -Shadow – Grey- Hidden- Informal Economy -Social Welfare Fraud –

estimated cost 2.4%- 4.1% of social welfare budget

Multi-agency Approach with Revenue/Gardaí/GNIB/NERA/National

Transport Authority/County Councils/Corporations etc.

Data and Information Sharing with other Government Agencies

Prosecutions

What a Social Welfare Inspector can legally do

Enter any place where s\he believes there is employment

Require employer to produce records Require attendance of employer Interview all persons on premises Require person interviewed to sign statement Power to Require a person to produce documents or

information Power to seize documents

Social Welfare Inspector Powers on Road Checks & Airport Checks Power with Gardaí or customs (in uniform) to stop any

vehicle where the social welfare inspector reasonably suspects is used in the course of employment or self employment and

Power to question and make enquiries of any person in the vehicle

Power to attend at any port or airport and where there are reasonable grounds to question and make enquiries of a person who is a passenger

MULTI AGENCY VEHICLE CHECKS

ANTI FRAUD INITIATIVE 2011-2013

“Social welfare fraud undermines public confidence in the entire system as well as being unfair to other recipients of social welfare payments, [and] taxpayers and businesses [that] run on a legitimate basis”.

Enforcement Integrated response Strong ties between public agencies. Police the hidden economy, Sanctions for perpetrators and recover lost revenue

SIU -WHAT WE DO!

Targeted Hidden Economy Projects Multi Agency Road Checks Identity Fraud Checks Data Matching Respond to Good Citizen Reports Share intelligence with other Government

Agencies and UK and EU agencies

SIU -WHAT WE DO!

OPERATION AIRSIDE

OPERATION SITE

OPERATION TRANSPORT

LIFSTYLE AND ASSETS

STREETSCAPES PROJECTS

DATA MATCHING PROJECTS

TARGETING ORGANISED FRAUD

GOOD CITIZEN REPORTS

SIU IS TARGET DRIVEN- SAVINGS (€70ml.) AND PROSECUTIONS (300)

Multi-agency Approach with Revenue/Gardai/GNIB/NERA/NTA/CO COUNCILS

Joint Investigation Units – with Revenue- Customs Gardaí –MAVC’s-working with Garda Bureau of Fraud

Investigation – sharing intelligence- CAB Garda National Immigration Bureau National Employment Rights Agency National Transport Authority Enforcement Team County Council Waste Enforcement Officers Regional Hidden Economy Working Groups

Multi Agency Co-operation

Time is right for a multi agency approach

Intelligence sharing, collaboration, joint operations, data sharing

Building networks and relationships

Positive Public Perception

ONGOING DEVELOPMENTS

New Public Service Card with Key security and identification features

20 Gardaí added to the Special Investigation Unit in 2014

Improved sharing of information and Data Matching between

Government Agencies – better technologies

Targeting Internet Shopping and Business

Raising Public Awareness of the effects of Illegal Trade- Social

Welfare Fraud

Thank You

Contact [email protected] Visit www.welfare.ie Collaborate in stopping illegal trade By phone: (01) 6732123, (071) 9672648

or Lo-call: 1890 927999. By Post: Central Control Division, DSP,

Shannon Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim.