The Spain Forums

Lee · 26-09-2008, 10:53 AM

Anyone claiming UK benefits fraudulently can now be grassed up on a new hotline in Alicante.

The grass up a neighbour plan is be yet another great idea brought to you by the labour party

Quote:

Benefits Fraud Hotline To Open In Alicante
British Embassy

Madrid

PRESS NOTICE 23 SEPTEMBER 2008

UK Minister James Plaskitt MP to launch benefit fraud 'whistleblowers hotline' in Alicante

The vast majority of British nationals who live abroad are law abiding but some are claiming UK benefits they are not entitled to. 'Abroad fraud' is costing UK taxpayers an estimated £93 million a year.

James Plaskitt MP is the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work and Pensions responsible for benefit fraud amongst other areas. He will be launching a benefit fraud "whistleblowers hotline" in the Alicante area.

Briefing details:

Date: Thursday 25 September 2008
Time: 12.40 (starting time)
Place: Hotel Hospes Amérigo

Rafael Altamira 7

Alicante

For more information please contact:

Louise Ansari, Director of Communications, British Embassy Madrid, Tel: 91 700 82 55, Mobile: 659 453 761, Email: louise.ansari@fco.gov.uk

James Birkett, Press Officer, British Embassy Madrid, Tel.: 91 700 82 91; Email: james.birkett@fco.gov.uk

If this lot cant stop all the illegals ripping off the UK, who have made zero contribution apart from scream about their rights and pray to allah for their hand outs, going after the easy targets is yet another good idea being implemented by the labour party.

I don't agree with benefit cheats myself. But I agree with the UK fill the immigrants hands with money and homes policy even less.

Lee · 27-09-2008, 02:34 PM

A bit more on this taken from the Costa Blanca News

Quote:

Benefits cheats targeted by work and pensions minister
By Tom Cain
UK PENSIONS minister, James Plaskitt was in Alicante yesterday to launch a new benefit fraud ‘whistelblowers hotline’.

Mr Plaskitt said that around £200 million in benefits are being paid to expats in Spain every year and it is estimated that £20 million are being claimed fraudulently.

According to the minister, the Costa whistleblower hotline is a pilot scheme to be operated initially in Alicante Province only, although calls from other area will be attended.

It is based on the same scheme operating in the UK which has seen 50,000 people prosecuted for illegally claiming benefits.

Calls can be made on 900 554 440 and any information given to the hotline will be treated as confidential.

Investigations will begin in the UK and if evidence is found, benefits will be stopped immediately and prosecution will begin.

Mr Plaskitt summarised the scheme by warning: “If you’re on the beach you’re not out of reach.”

The minister warned: “We are interested in all kinds of benefit fraud starting with people who do not notify a partner’s death to continue claiming their pension, to fraudulent incapacity claims and others.
“No exceptions will be made and we won’t accept an ‘I didn’t understand the rules’ excuse.”

Prosecution will not be light-handed warn UK government officials.
Mr Plaskitt has scheduled a meeting with Spanish government officials in Madrid today (Friday) to discuss information-sharing systems that will allow benefit fraud investigators to access bank accounts held by claimants in Spain.

As stated by the minister, illegally obtained benefits are used to purchase houses, cars and other assets which could be seized if required.

If UK courts believe a custodial sentence is required, the extradition systems will be put to work.

Officials have assured expat claimants that they will not act on a simple phone call, which could cause unnecessary hardship if the information received via the hotline proves to be incorrect or malicious.

However, the announcement is likely to cause upset among Costa expats who are receiving incapacity benefits.

MORE THAN 12,000 CLAIMANTS

The move comes after Mr Plaskitt revealed in parliament that 12,010 incapacity claimants were living abroad last year with most of them in Spain or the Republic of Ireland.

Costa claimants are getting between £60 and £1,000 per week.
Each week more than one million pounds is being sent out of the UK to pay incapacity benefits to Britons who in many cases are not subject to regular medical checks to confirm entitlement of the cash.

Some of this money is also being paid to foreigners who made claims while they were working in the UK and have since returned home.
It has been estimated that in the 10 years since Labour came into power, around £496 million has been paid out to claimants who have left the UK to live abroad.

In most cases all a claimant needs to do is send GP confirmation that they are still unable to work due to illness to the Department for Work and Pensions.

A total of £200 million a year is leaving the UK to be paid to claimants in Spain.

Under current rules anyone who initially claimed their benefit while in the UK is entitled to continue claiming if they move to any of the 29 European Union states or their oversees territories, and under EU laws benefits acquired in one state must be paid to those who move to another.

Calls are being made in the UK for each and every claimant to undertake an independent medical assessment to determine their ability to work and only last month Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell announced a £400-million-plan to replace incapacity benefit with the Employment and Support Allowance.

Once assessed, claimants will be divided into two groups, those deemed unable to work and those able to do some form of work.

Source

Looks like one or two people could be looking at an unplanned trip to the UK care of the UK government.

Wonder if they will get those little bags of pea nuts on the plane back

Karensun · 27-09-2008, 03:13 PM

Will there be one for tax fraud as well? Then the authorities could have a beano !!

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