Gordon Lyons is interested in more than money – he wants a broader debate on the politics and ethics of the benefits system. Photograph: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker
In the United States, under a law passed by president Abraham Lincoln, it is possible – although unusual – for any person to take another to court for welfare fraud and keep up to 30 per cent of the money recovered.
The DUP is on the cusp of giving Stormont a comparable ability. Gordon Lyons, the party’s Minister for Communities, is in discussions with the UK treasury to keep half the savings from tackling benefit fraud and error. All savings are currently retained by London. Lyons says this can deliver an initial £25 million (€28 million) a year for the Northern Ireland Executive, with more coming in as his de
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