MSD appeal to withhold benefit reviewers' names in a bid to protect staff

Friday, 22 September 2017

Earlier this month, Ministry for Social Development chief executive Brendan Boyle said pseudonyms protect staff and on occasion members of the Benefit Review Committee from being identified, at risk of harassment, threats or even violence.

The Ministry for Social Development is fighting to withhold the names of their Benefits Review Committee members, after being asked to reveal them.

They maintain that their members use fake names for health and safety reasons, as identification could lead to harassment, threats or violence, at work and outside of work.

Boyle said they took the authority's interlocutory decision 'extremely seriously', given the issues raised and their commitment to ensure the safety of their staff.

On Thursday, the ministry lodged an appeal against the Social Security Appeal Authority to do so, after the authority pressed them to reveal the names in an interlocutory decision made on September 15.

This month it was found decisions by the Ministry of Social Development's benefits review committees were issued under fake names and signatures.

* Editorial: Fake names are a denial of justice**

Ministry of Social Development chief executive Brendan Boyle said as the matter would be decided by the High Court, the Ministry was unable to make any further comment.

The issue came to light when a woman appealed against seven decisions on her case, and a MSD manager notified the Social Security Appeal Authority.

The woman's lawyer, Tony Ellis, called it 'extraordinary misbehaviour'.

But it was not the first time committee members' decisions were issued under false names.

The authority previously ruled fake names must not be used, as they deprived people of their right to natural justice.

Justice might include being able to check if the Benefit Review Committee members were validly appointed, or had some previous involvement that suggested bias.

A previous statement from Boyle from September 1 says the health and safety of staff was 'absolutely critical'.

'That is why we use pseudonyms for staff in the Remote Client Unit,' Boyle said.

'The Remote Client Unit works with our most volatile clients, to the extent that our people do not meet with them face to face.'

These were a tiny group of our clients, around 80 clients out of a total of 1.1m, he said.

'Pseudonyms protect unit staff and on occasion members of the Benefit Review Committee from being identified and potentially placed at greater risk of harassment, threats or even violence, both within and outside of their work environment.

'We take the authority's interlocutory decision extremely seriously, given the issues raised, and our commitment to ensuring the safety for our staff.'

Boyle refuted any claim that a personal undertaking was given to discontinue the use of pseudonyms.