Social welfare fraud - Time to lift the veil of secrecy

Any lingering doubts about the two-faced nature of Irish justice have been well and truly dispelled by the marked contrast revealed in two reports out yesterday showing how different arms of the State deal with people who breach regulations.

Compared with the Government’s aggressive crackdown on welfare cheats, a no-nonsense policy that deserves to be applauded, the disparity is particularly evident in the kid-glove approach forced upon the Financial Services Ombudsman, who deals with complaints about companies.

There is no denying Bill Prasikfa, the ombudsman, has effectively been muzzled when it comes to naming and shaming companies that repeatedly crop up in complaints on how members of the public were treated.