RT by @lukeming: Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All?

There is a Clark Kent among us. The superhero of this piece is the archetypical mild-mannered reporter, a household name, none other than Mr. Philip Boucher-Hayes.

Back in January 2019, Philip’s act of superheroism was broadcast live as he stood toe to toe with the Minister for Social Protection.

Philip questioned the Minister about the Department’s failure to pursue employers who evade
employers’ PRSI by mislabelling employees as self-employed.

Both the Minister and the mild-mannered reporter fully understood the implications of the questions being asked.

It is fair to say that the public didn’t until two weeks ago when RTE admitted to the Public Accounts Committee that it owes a minimum of €20,000,000 for misclassification of RTE employees as self-employed.

“In spite of the fact that this is a criminal law, under the statute books but your policy is: not to
enforce it” Boucher-Hayes challenged the Minister.

“I don’t want to penalise anybody. I don’t want to make employers the bad guy...” the clearly
flustered Minister replied.

Later in 2019, at the Oireachtas Social Welfare Committee investigating bogus self-employment, the Assistant Secretary General of the Department responsible for PRSI collection, told the Oireachtas that evasion of PRSI is a criminal offence under sections 251, 252 & 254 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. The Assistant Secretary General did not inform the Committee that it is the policy of the Department not to apply the welfare legislation to employers to avoid making employers the ‘Bad Guys’.

Despite scores of hours spent in Committee Meetings since the RTE barter accounts scandal began,
the Department of Social Protection has not been asked why RTE the welfare cheat, is getting a ‘Free
Pass’ from the Minister when RTE has accepted and conceded to 150 individual instances of
mis…

🐦🔗: https://nitter.cz/williamhboney1/status/1723648659932270773#m

[2023-11-12 10:27 UTC]