Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 28 May 2015

Public Accounts Committee

2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Chapter 10 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 11 - Control of Supplementary Welfare Allowances
Chapter 12 - Farm Assist
Social Insurance Fund 2013

10:00 am

Ms Niamh O'Donoghue:

Over a number of years the entire contract has a value of €24 million. There is facial image collection as part of the card. It is the facial matching that is identifying the fraudulent activity. People cannot go in and fool the system wearing glasses or changing their appearance. We have managed to establish 62 cases of serious fraud where people have claimed multiple identities. There is very little difference in the context-----