A GOVERNMENT survey has indicated a massive level of fraud among social welfare recipients.
More than 30 per cent of live register recipients covered in the survey were either not at the addresses shown on their claims or were working full time.
The study, the details of which were given to a small number of senior Government Ministers and officials this week, was undertaken as part of the latest Labour Force Survey. Results from the survey, undertaken by the Central Statistics Office, were compared with the live register.
The Irish Times understands that this shows that in more than 20 per cent of cases, the live register claimant was not at the address given. In some cases relatives lived at the address, while in others the claimant could not be traced.
Sources say this indicates that in many cases false claims are being made.
When live register claimants who were working full time as well as claiming benefit are added, the total rises to more than 30 per cent.
The survey was undertaken in collaboration between the Departments of the Taoiseach and Social Welfare and the CSO. It followed a Government decision to find out why the live register measure of unemployment, now in excess of 290,000, was more than 80,000 higher than the total shown in the annual Labour Force Survey.
The Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa, said yesterday that fraud control measures in the Department are to be stepped up to combat "collusion" between employers and social welfare recipients working in the `black' economy.
He criticised "cheap skate employers" who, he said, "knowingly abuse the taxpayer by keeping employees `off the books' while they claim unemployment payments."
But he rejected Fianna Fail claims that he was using fraud as a "smokescreen to hide the fact that the Government's employment policies are not working".
The Department puts a conservative estimate of £100 million on the payments to social welfare recipients who are working in the black economy, and believes increased anti evasion measures could recover a large amount.
The Department says it found a substantial element of fraud in surveys of the live register, although it would not comment on the details of the survey.
Mr De Rossa said the fraud was unfair to the majority of legitimate employers, and to the majority of social welfare recipients who were too old, young or ill to work or genuinely unable to find work.
Mrs Mary O'Rourke, the Fianna Fail spokeswoman on enterprise and employment, said it was "nonsense" to claim that the live register is 7,000 higher than a year ago because of fraud.
A spokesman for the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed said that "for every fraudulent person signing on the dole there is a fraudulent employer". Most unemployed people were not involved in social welfare fraud.
The Labour Force Survey is confidential, so it appears that the individuals concerned cannot be questioned under current legislation.