Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 18 May 2017
Select Committee on Social Protection
Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised)
10:40 am
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source
We have a budget. As much as five sixths of our publicity budget is used on telling people about things they are entitled to, and we will keep doing so. Not that long ago there was a campaign on insurance fraud that asked people to report fraudsters. It was broadcast on television, aired on radio and displayed on billboards. The reason for the campaign was because we all pay for insurance fraud through our insurance policies. Something similar applies to social welfare fraud because if it occurs, we all pay for it through social insurance and taxes. I do not remember a single person at the time suggesting that we were demonising everyone who had insurance or made an insurance claim. It is a nonsensical argument.
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