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Covid-19 Pandemic

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020

Tuesday, 8 September 2020

Ceisteanna (754, 755, 756, 757)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

754. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if airport checkpoints are still in operation that are staffed by her officials. [22433/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

755. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the criteria used to identify which flights in and or out are to be checked by her officials. [22434/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

756. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of criminal investigations or prosecutions that have commenced as a result of airport control checks from March 2020 to date regarding airport checkpoints; the number of these that relate to the pandemic unemployment payment ; and the number of same that relate to other social protection payments. [22435/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

757. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention or that of her predecessor was drawn to the nature of social protection checks at airports; and if she or her predecessor had a role in their authorisation. [22436/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 754 to 757, inclusive, together.

All social welfare schemes are subject to control and compliance checks in order to ensure that the Exchequer resources provided for those schemes are protected. The pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) scheme is subject to conditionality, in particular the requirement to be resident in Ireland to receive the payment under the scheme.

Under the provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended, social welfare inspectors have powers to attend at ports and airports and make enquiries for the purposes of the control and compliance of social welfare schemes. In recent months, against the backdrop of the Covid19 pandemic, inspectors made enquiries of persons who were leaving the State. The nature of these enquiries was very limited and the information collected was also limited to that which was necessary to determine if the person was in receipt of a payment that they were not entitled to receive if they were leaving the State.

Given the employment effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the high proportion of people in receipt of a jobseeker/PUP payments and the general travel advice issued by Governments around the world, the Department believes that it was entirely reasonable during that short period of time, that an inspector would form the view, in accordance with the provisions of the 2005 Act, that passengers embarking on a flight could include persons who were in receipt of social welfare payments. It is important to note that the nature of the enquiries was in relation to payments that 825,000 people (33% of all working age adults or more than 50% of all private sector workers) were then receiving.

In carrying out this work, the Department’s overriding focus has been to ensure compliance with the provisions and rules of social welfare schemes. Payments were, therefore, stopped where recipients no longer had an entitlement because they were leaving the State. Over €10m in savings has been generated by this work.

While there are a number of criminal prosecutions underway in relation to the PUP, no criminal prosecutions have been initiated by the Department directly arising from the checks at the airport.

The last compliance check conducted by the Department in Dublin airport was on 16 July. The last checks at ports took place on 28 July. This reflects a number of factors including the significant reduction in the numbers receiving the pandemic payment over recent months and the operational experience of the Department in carrying out this work. It also reflects the Department’s evolving approach in light of the Government’s advice around travel abroad.

Finally, the Deputy should note that the Department’s inspectors have been undertaking control checks at airports and ports since 2012. The work being done in recent months was, therefore, part of the ongoing control work that the Department is engaged in and was done in the context of the Covid19 pandemic where people were leaving the State in large numbers, many with open PUP claims.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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