After a long process in committee, MPs from the Arizona majority reached an agreement on a set of recommendations to strengthen the functioning, transparency and effectiveness of the Public Social Welfare Centres (CPAS), following the particularly worrying revelations concerning Anderlecht's CPAS. These recommendations will be discussed in committee this Monday with all MPs.
"This consensus is the result of several months of hearings and work within the Social Affairs Committee," explains MR MP and Committee Chairman Denis Ducarme. "It was a collective and rigorous exercise which fully mobilised the majority's MPs, in a spirit of harmony, in order to reach a swift outcome, because the situation demands it."
The 60 hours of hearings revealed serious dysfunctions within Anderlecht's CPAS: confirmed fraud involving federal subsidies, established clientelist management, manipulation of administrative procedures, and a lack of effective controls. It was also established that the Special Social Service Committee of Anderlecht regularly issues decisions that are non-compliant and contrary to the proposals contained in social workers' reports.
"The facts presented to us are extremely serious and deeply undermine citizens' trust in our system of solidarity. I want to pay tribute to the courage of the social workers who testified, sometimes at the risk of their professional peace of mind, but driven by a profound sense of justice," stresses Denis Ducarme.
The MR MP is now placing all his hope in the work of the justice system, which has taken up the case: "It is essential that the truth comes out and that responsibilities are established. The justice system must be able to shed full light on these actions and restore the credibility of our system. It is inconceivable that social workers, who carry out essential duties in their daily work with the public, should be so neglected."
The recommendations tabled by the Arizona majority call in particular for:
- The federal government to become a civil party in the ongoing legal proceedings
- An assessment of the financial damage and repayment by the CPAS concerned
- The possibility of placing under guardianship CPAS centres showing structural malpractice
- The strengthening of fraud detection and control tools used by federal services
- A guarantee of anonymity for social workers at CPAS centres who detect fraud, so they can communicate easily with the inspection service of the POD SPP IS
- Better cooperation between CPAS centres, oversight authorities and labour auditors
- And concrete measures to support social workers, ensuring that social assistance truly benefits those who need it
This work reflects a clear ambition: to reconcile efficiency, fairness and transparency in social policy, while restoring citizens' trust in solidarity institutions.