Dole fraud checks

Press, 26 November 1982, Page 6

Dole fraud checks

Parliamentary reporter

Christchurch has been named as one of the six districts where errors in unemployment benefits are particularly common.

In an effort to reduce the number of errors and fraud, the Government has started a review of every person who has been on the dole for more than eight weeks in those six districts. The Minister .of Social Welfare, Mr Young, said yesterday that a review of unemployment benefits had shown that the incidence of errors was particularly high in Christchurch, Auckland; Henderson, . Manukau, Otahuhu, and Hamilton.

The review . began two weeks ago as part of the Government’s efforts to reduce fraud. About 10,000 beneficiaries would , have been personally interviewed by December.lo. In the six “problem” employment districts, every unemployment beneficiary' who had been on the benefit for

more than eight weeks was being interviewed. The interviews would examine whether the beneficiaries were still entitled to the benefit and the steps they had taken to find work. • ■ Mr Young said he realised that some beneficiaries might find the checks inconvenient, but only those' who . were receiving payments they - were hot entitled to would be concerned. . ’ “I believe regular , checks' . are essential to maintain the . integrity and viability of the social security system,” he said. v Several programmes to reduce the number of incorrect payments had been intro.duced since the beginning of the year. In reviews by 26 district offices between April and . August, it was found; that 1612, or 9 per cent, as unem- • ployed with the-Labour De-, partment. ' '. As a result of that review', 731 benefits were cancelled. Mr Young said, that the

Social Welfare and Labour departments were formulating an improved system to ensure that dole payments were not made to people who were no longer registered with the Labour Department, but who had failed to notify the Social Welfare Department. Clerical procedures had been, tightened and the use of computers was being . investigated. ''■'’A further safeguard was provided in this year’s Social Security Amendment Act, which introduced registration checks , and personal interviews, for all unemployment

beneficiaries who had received'the dole for more than 26 weeks. These interviews would ex- ; amine the efforts made by the beneficiary to find work, -the possibility of shifting to ’an area where there were better job prospects;' and the possibility using other agencies to find work. Mr Young said.