Cheating Us All

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Leo Varadkar (left) launching his ‘Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All’ campaign, when he was Minister for Social Protection in May 2017; Fine Gael TD Dara Murphy (right).

Communications Minister Richard Burton said Mr Murphy now needs to show his expense claims were justifiable.

Mr Bruton said: “Now he needs to account for what claims he made and whether those claims were justifiable.

“I mean, a lot of questions have surfaced in the media and they do have to be answered, I think it’s important that the committee on members’ interests investigate this and thrash it out,” Mr Bruton said.

Fine Gael Minister Says Murphy Should Pay Back Expenses (Irish Examiner)

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22 thoughts on “Cheating Us All

      1. Cian

        By 2018 there were 361 cases for prosecution. I imagine that there is a lead-time between a campaign (April – July 2017), any investigations, a chance to repay the moneys owed, until finally going to prosecutions.

        You would really need to know how many how many claim investigations were held, the amounts overpaid, the number that are settled and the amounts repaid, and the number going for prosecution (and amounts) to know if it were successful. There is also a (small) possibility that it acted as a deterrent thus reducing the number of fraudulent events.

          1. Joe Small

            I’m guessing he’s a civil servant. His posts are more interesting than most of the misinformed rantings on here.

          2. GiggidyGoo

            We Joe, he says above ‘I’d imagine’, so that suggests he isn’t informed. I’d go more with Treasa’s reading.

          3. Cian

            I’m not a shill. I’m not being paid (unfortunately).

            I try to keep my comments factual. I try to link to sources.
            When I make assumptions I try to flag them as such.

            In the example above I don’t know what the process actually is, but I’m guessing (based on years experience of other processes) that there will be a time lag between a case being highlighted, going onto a queue, getting investigated, deciding on next stages, (a guess) they don’t jump straight to the Garda, but reach out to the claimant and see if it can be sorted out amicably. There will be a number of chances for the repayment… Then they will only go legal/Garda route after all other avenues are spent.

            With that in mind, I (personally) would be surprised if any cases that were triggered by that campaign would go legal in 2017.

            If you disagree with my thinking – tell me why you think it is incorrect.
            If you have real information on the process and how quickly/slowly it works – let me know.

            If you just want to slag off the government/FG/Leo just “because” – well perhaps you are the shill.

  1. V

    I have to wonder if Dara Murphy knew the expenses story was about to break and got in ahead of it with his resignation.

    And if there’s any basis to that then I suppose I’m also allowed to wonder would he have chanced his arm again in the General ahead.
    So a question for Broadsheet; does anyone know if he contested the Fine Gael convention for Cork North Central?

    One definite flaw in Fine Gael’s crisis spinning around this is why their chief whip Seán Kyne didn’t deal with Dara Murphy’s double gigging sooner.

    As for his claiming expenses, I would be of the view that he incurred no legitimate expenses in the performance of the role they were attached to, and therefore they should be treated as untaxed Income and a matter for Revenue.

  2. Bebe

    If it’s found that Murphy incurred no expenses applicable to the role then surely he must repay the exchequer the 51k ?

    1. Joe Small

      I imagine he might make the case that his constituency office was beavering away. Not quite the same though, is it?

    2. GiggidyGoo

      And does he clock in in Europe? I’d say the record-keeping out there might be a bit better than the Dail. A reporter worth his salt would surely be able tp find out. Maybe compare flight, hotel, restaurant records?
      Wouldn’t it be gas though if he was signed into Leinster House, yet wasn’t in Ireland at all?

  3. Steph Pinker

    Having watched Otis Blue’s VB clip and read GG’s reference to the Independent article, why do we, as taxpayers put up with this abuse? Every single week there are scummy revelations floating to the surface regarding politics and politicians on this island – what’s being done about it?

    As the electorate, are we ever going to strive for change? I only have one vote, but there are so many people I know who have been, and are still affected by the health and housing/ rental crises* in this country within the past fifteen years, yet, it’s deteriorating on a weekly basis, but the politicians/ developers/ private business owners in specific sectors are getting richer; I’m at a loss as to how to make change in our society because even [some of] the so-called politicians who actually spoke for the common person are now enjoying the champagne life in Brussels to the point whereby they’ve forgotten why they were elected.

    I’m not a cynical person but one doesn’t need to be a student of Nietzsche to recognise the smell of the abyss.

    * To name a few.

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