Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 14 March 2013

Public Accounts Committee

2011 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 – Social Protection
Chapter 21 – Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes
Chapter 22 – Welfare Overpayment Debts
Chapter 23 – Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Social Insurance Fund – Annual Accounts 2011

10:55 am

Ms Niamh O'Donoghue:

Absolutely, I understand that, but what I would point to is the level of overpayment and particularly the number of overpayments that are attributable to fraud - the average overpayment is quite small. So we have to make a judgment when we are bringing things to prosecution as to the resources required and the level of evidence required to support a full-scale prosecution versus the likely outcome, particularly having regard to the circumstances. On that basis we have a matrix that we apply in determining whether we prosecute something. That has regard, obviously, to the amount of money involved. It has regard to the number of times somebody has been in offence.