The government has appointed a board to evaluate the process of the disability benefits scheme following the exposure of a racket that enabled people who were not entitled to financial assistance to receive an average of €450 a month.
In a statement Saturday, the government said that the board will be made up of Judge Emeritus Antonio Mizzi and includes Anthony Scicluna and Raymond Muscat.
The appointment comes in the wake of revelations that up to 800 people benefited from assistance. Some have already been charged in court and admitted to the offence, getting a suspended sentence. Former Labour MP Silvio Grixti has been implicated in the racket.
In its statement on Saturday, the government said that in spite of the fact that there are “robust systems” in the Social Security Department and the Financial Assistance and Compliance Division “so much so that suspicious cases were referred to the police”, it was felt that the evaluation processes should be strengthened where necessary.
The board, set up by Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon and permanent secretary Mark Musu, will work independently of the police investigation.
The terms of reference of the board are:
1) Determine how applications for assistance offered for severe disability, arriving from people who were allegedly not eligible, had been accepted;
2) Establish whether there were administrative shortcomings or irregularities in the verification process, including the medical evaluation;
3) Examine whether the systems and processes for the submission, evaluation and verification of applications are strong enough to ensure that the benefits are given to all those who really deserve it;
4) Recommend measures that should be taken so that the application system, including the scrutiny and evaluation process, can be strengthened;
The board is required to present its conclusions and recommendations to the minister in five months, although an extension is possible.
The ministry promised to publish the conclusions and recommendations.