Social identity card marks new step in fight against social fraud

From October 1998, Belgians will carry a new social identity card. Although not explicitly mentioned as a key reason for its introduction, one of the card's interesting features, from a government perspective, is its possible usefulness in the fight against social fraud.

Introduced as a consequence of the law on the modernisation of the social security and social services system (dated 26 July 1996), the SIS card or social identity card will come into operation in October 1998. It is an important step in the process of combining different electronic data sets into a linked web of information on the social situation of all citizens. It is obvious that this includes an important number of issues related to the employment situation of the people included in the system.

In the coming months, each individual who is a part of the social security/services system will receive a SIS card and from then on is supposed to carry it with him or her, just as all Belgians are supposed to do with their regular identity card. Advantages for citizens include a faster and less bureaucratic service in areas as diverse as employment regulation, retirement administration and hospital registration. Advantages for the administration are the streamlining of different administrative procedures and the abolition of some 60 forms.

During a press conference, Miet Smet, the Minister of Labour and Employment, highlighted the importance of the introduction of the SIS card for the domain of labour and employment:

• all employees will need to have the SIS card with them at the workplace. This will allow for faster and more foolproof controls by the social inspectors of the Labour Administration;

• employers have more control over the social situation of prospective employees. This allows them, for example, to check whether the employee is a candidate for employment programmes sponsored by the government;

• the card will be a useful tool in the fight against clandestine employment because it allows for faster and more complete control mechanisms; and

• the card will allow for faster, more uniform and more complete collection of information on working times, wages and so on. As such, it contributes to better statistical insight on the labour market in Belgium and hence to better policy-making in this field.

Ms Smet expressed the hope that the SIS card will contribute to faster, more uniform and, for all parties, beneficial administrative procedures. If the card also supports the battle against social fraud, it can be seen as an important step forward in this domain.