James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everyone here this morning and this afternoon. The first question I want to ask is about the overpayments. Looking through the file and chapter 15 on the rising social welfare payments, there seems to be a consistent issue where around €100 million to €125 million has been paid out. It is put down to further evidence being gathered and people owing money back. I want to get a sense of how that process works and how that is identified in those situations. Is it through the Department's own initiative to investigate or does it come from people who put the lámha suas and say they have actually made an error or mistake and should not have received such a payment? To get a picture of that would be helpful.