Social Welfare checks to see if your children really exist

Tombi!

Pherekydes wrote: »

It seems not, though I recall doing it a long time ago (c.1987). Maybe they changed the rules.


Anyway, my point still stands: a birth cert is not proof of existence.

I checked the site and it said you can apply online so I dunno.
Still though, I imagine it'll be "ah I can't find it, give us a week" and then next week never comes.

mawk

when they introduced a system of having to provide a social security number for each child being claimed for in the states, 7 million children subsequently vanished. 15% of all the children that actually existed.

yeah, people play systems

Plazaman

K-9 wrote: »

I know, people moan there aren't enough investigating and when they do, they'll find something else to moan about.

Heh heh, too right.

THEN : Awww, there's too many Public/Civil Servants in this country, their wage bill is too high, get rid of some of them.

Cue early retirement and redunancy scheme. 22,000 leave.

NOW : Awwww, there's not enough staff to answer phones.

fasttalkerchat

MrTsSnickers wrote: »

Is that so widespread that it requires such a clamp down?

No, they just need to spend big money on enforcement to get the same or bigger budget next year. Same with the customs. Sure they welfare were at Dundalk dole office every week asking people for ID and documents as they walked into the building!

UCDVet

Here's what you do....

Take 100 people at random, go and check them. Record how much money is spent paying someone to go and check these 100 people (call it X). Record how many are discovered to be cheating the system and calculate how much money will be saved by not over paying them (call it Y).

If Y>X - keep extend the program while continuing to record data on the costs. Over time, less people will try to cheat if they know people will check up on them. As soon as Y<X; discontinue the program to be restarted at some later date.

Simple.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Haven't read the whole thread just first post. A few weeks ago there was an article on FB where someone contacted RTE radio 1 to report they had a polish friend who was claiming for 3 children but only had one. This friend bought 2 fake birth certs in Poland and was stating the children lived with their father in Poland. So this may have come from that story in which case I'm all for it.

Macca07

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you need to provide the birth cert when claiming for Child Benefit.

Also, what does it prove if you have a birth cert or passport for a child, if they're not in the house with you?

Boombastic

CJC999 wrote: »

Haven't read the whole thread just first post. A few weeks ago there was an article on FB where someone contacted RTE radio 1 to report they had a polish friend who was claiming for 3 children but only had one. This friend bought 2 fake birth certs in Poland and was stating the children lived with their father in Poland. So this may have come from that story in which case I'm all for it.

I don.t think they are checking the children if they live in another country.
surveys have been done to show if x>y (as ucdvet suggested) so they have a rough idea as to the extent of the problem, and most overpayments are due to external administration error. 69%. Have they addressed this?

enricoh

our local priest was doing baptisms one sunday morning at mass. he finishes up, and travels down the road to a different parish to cover for a sick priest n low n behold one of the same families is there under a different name to get the kid baptised!
the boys in blue from immigration got a call n put a dampener on this highly religious families special day!
but what are the odds of them getting caught, rather low methinks

Pherekydes

enricoh wrote: »

our local priest was doing baptisms one sunday morning at mass. he finishes up, and travels down the road to a different parish to cover for a sick priest n low n behold one of the same families is there under a different name to get the kid baptised!
the boys in blue from immigration got a call n put a dampener on this highly religious families special day!
but what are the odds of them getting caught, rather low methinks

How amusing, but unnecessary. You don't need to baptise your child to claim CB.

randylonghorn

Pherekydes wrote: »

How amusing, but unnecessary. You don't need to baptise your child to claim CB.

Yep, and you certainly don't need to baptise them twice ... nor for any religious reason either.

Either urban myth or just plain made up tbh.