asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of employers who failed to stamp employees' insurance cards in the past year; and if his Department have devised any new early warning system to detect such defaulters.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Non-stamping of Insurance Cards.
83.
Statistics of the number of employers who fail to stamp insurance cards in any one insurance year are not compiled. Defaulters are brought to notice in several ways throughout each year and most arrears are recovered by local action. Those cases in which local action fails are reported to headquarters and only when the cases so reported reach certain stages are statistics compiled. The records for the year ended 31st December, 1972 show the number of cases brought to these stages to be as follows:— (a) Referred to Chief State Solicitor for civil proceedings— 676; (b) Referred to Chief State Solicitor for summary proceedings— 300; (c) Claims made on receivers and liquidators—51; (d) Claims made on the Official Assignee—7; (e) Claims made on solicitors for deceased employers—27; (f) Cases in payment by instalments—130.
In detecting employers who fail to stamp insurance cards the Department depends mainly on a system of regular inspections designed to ensure that most attention is paid to those employers most likely to default, but defaulters are also brought to notice through failure to surrender cards, through inspection of trade papers and through complaints by insured persons.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not think that the early warning system could best indicate the failure to return completed cards? The Department seems to be slipping up on this aspect, which is the most important aspect of all. There should be some kind of receipt issued and, where the receipt is not issued because the card is not received, those responsible should be contacted immediately. That is the best early warning system I can think of and I am amazed the Department has not thought of it.
I would be most anxious to employ any effective method of eliminating this.