Compulsory ID cards urged to counteract benefit fraud

COMPULSORY national ID cards must be introduced to claw back more than €600 million a year being lost to benefit fraudsters.

An all-party report said the Government was failing to crack down hard enough on benefit cheats.

New measures needed include making it compulsory to name fathers on birth certificates, according to the Oireachtas Social and Family Affairs Committee. This would make it easier to track “deadbeat dads” and force them to pay maintenance, the TDs said.