Vol. 515 No. 4
15 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of multi-agency vehicle checkpoints, if any, in which his Department participated in each of the years from 1998 to date; and if he will given a report on the effectiveness of these checkpoints. [6267/00]
In early 1998 my Department accepted an invitation from the Garda to participate in multi-agency vehicle checkpoints. These checkpoints involve staff from my Department participating with the Garda and officials of the Department of Public Enterprise, the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of the Environment and Local Government in checking for compliance with the law in each of the areas concerned. The checkpoints proved to be effective in identifying areas of potential abuse which could be subsequently followed up. To copperfasten the legal basis of these operations, provision was included in the 1999 Social Welfare Act to provide specific legal cover for officers of my Department participating in these checkpoints.
Inspectors from my Department participated in 15 checkpoints in 1998 and four during 1999. A number of issues relating to the operation of the checkpoints has been raised on behalf of the staff involved in them and these are under discussion with the trade union concerned. In the meantime, checkpoints involving staff from my Department have not been set up this year. Due to the necessity for a Garda presence in these exercises, the scheduling of checkpoints also depends on the availability of gardaí, having regard to their other commitments and the other activities in which they are engaged.
I regard the multi-agency vehicle checkpoints as an effective anti-abuse measure and, when the issues currently under discussion have been resolved, my Department will continue, as circumstances allow, to participate in vehicle checkpoints as one, but not only one element of its programme of activities to control fraud and abuse of social welfare payments. These activities include claim reviews, employer visitation for the purpose of inspecting PRSI records, data matching and other computer trawling exercises, liaison and transfer of information with other agencies in accordance with the law and special intensive team review activities on a local basis.
Will the Minister explain the rather odd situation where most of the checkpoints seem to have occurred prior to the passing of the 1999 Social Welfare Act which conferred the power to run them? It seems very odd that, on the basis of the figures the Minister presented to us, most of the checkpoints were in operation before the Act became law and that only a few have been in operation since then. What is the reason for that and what are the Minister's future intentions in regard to these checkpoints?
I stated that as far as I am concerned the checkpoints will comprise one element of the Department's attempt to stamp out fraud. Fewer checkpoints have been in operation since the passing of the legislation because the scheme was originally set up on a pilot basis. The Garda, as a result of international contacts and experience, decided to set up these checkpoints which apparently work very effectively in the UK and other European countries. We were asked to participate in the checkpoints in early 1998, together with the Department of Public Enterprise and the Department of the Environment and Local Government and the Revenue Commissioners. The trade union involved in my Department has raised issues in regard to health and safety which are ongoing. A meeting is due to be held in the coming weeks in an attempt to finalise those issues. Once they are resolved, we will continue to participate in the checkpoints.
I understand there is a view among the Garda Síochána that involvement in these multi-agency checkpoints with the Minister's Department may damage their standing with the public and that they are not anxious to participate in them any further for that reason. Is that the case? I also understand that the trade unions have submitted a claim to the effect that involvement with these agencies should be recognised as a new duty and that no further checkpoints will operated out until this issue is clarified. Is that correct and, if so, why were these issues not clarified prior to the passing of the legislation last year?
We did not devise these schemes. We were invited by the Garda to set them up and participate in them with a number of other Departments. My officials read unattributed comments from Garda sources in some media to the effect that they were unhappy about continuing to participate in these checkpoints. Senior officials from my Department made contact with senior level gardaí and received confirmation that, as far as the gardaí were concerned, they would continue to operate the checkpoints as resources permitted.
That has not happened.
It has. A number of checkpoints has been in operation since the passing of the legislation.
Four.
