The House budget committee, led by People's Party (PP) list-MP Rukchanok Srinork, visited the Social Security Office (SSO) headquarters to investigate discrepancies in financial management, including reports of missing assets worth 3.6 billion baht.
Ms Rukchanok, chairwoman of the House committee on budget planning and monitoring, on Tuesday said the committee intended to follow up on a number of issues, including discrepancies involving a 3.98-billion-baht budget, including 382 million baht in unmatched figures and 3.6 billion baht in missing assets.
The committee also sought updates on the SSO Core and SSO Plus web application project, which has a budget of 850 million baht.
The committee required details on the project's progress, its current status and the reasons for penalties imposed on contractors and subsequent reductions in those penalties for delays.
She rejected suggestions that the committee was specifically targeting the Social Security Office, saying there was no personal conflict with the SSO.
Following the recent appointment of a new SSO secretary-general, she expressed hope that cooperation between the committee and the office would improve.
A key issue was the upcoming Social Security board (SSB) election, for which about 300 million baht has been allocated, alongside an additional 300-400 million baht reportedly set aside for public relations activities.
She questioned whether the SSO has done enough to promote voter participation, noting that private sector or civil society groups appeared more active than the agency itself.
She said many insured members have reported difficulties entering personal information into the system for the vote registration.
She also called for measures to make participation easier for both employees and employers.
Ms Rukchanok said turnout among employer representatives was particularly low in the previous election.
Although more than 500,000 employers were eligible, successful candidates received only 600-700 votes.
She encouraged more voter participation, suggesting the SSO should target turnout of at least 5%-10%.
Ms Rukchanok also referred to the "calendar project" of the SSO, where excessive spending was suggested, saying the vote was crucial to ensure this type of project would not reappear.
"If there is a budget that appears to be rigged or if a certain group of people benefits, I believe it is our duty to investigate thoroughly," she said.
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