Pensioners Forensically Pursued

Thousands of elderly people who receive a pension contribution based on their partner or spouse’s contributory pension are being forensically assessed.  In some cases, after means testing, payments have been reduced or stopped altogether.

They have been asked to hold onto records for up to four years in case they are audited. The process in itself is frightening for people.  If any of us were demanded to lay bare all our financial transactions, how would we feel?  Are they not entitled to a level of privacy to live out their lives?  These pensioners have contributed to society for years as parents, carers, workers and community activists.  It is disgrace that that they should be targeted in this manner. 

We are not talking about wealthy people.  These are people who maybe never had a holiday, saved as much as they could and put a few euro away for their later years.  They could have squandered everything and be totally reliant on the state.

The anxiety experienced by these people who are targeted can often be compounded with age related illness and chronic conditions.

€15.7 million has been taken back from pensioners and the families of deceased pensioners.  There is a plan to target another 6,500 in the coming months.

If only a semblance of that same vigilance was present in the Departments of Health and Finance, we might not be looking at so many projects delayed or scrapped in order to cover the overrun at the National Children’s Hospital and make up for all the other procurement errors presided over by.

There is a mismatch in Government oversight and assessment between pursuing pensioners for possible overpayments and the massive overspend on the National Children’s Hospital, as well as waste in other expenditure projects.