Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 1 December 2022
Public Accounts Committee
2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes
9:30 am
Mr. John McKeon:
In any year, we generally have approximately €100 million in overpayments. For a Department that spends €20 billion, that is a small percentage. Of those cases, only 7% to 9% relate to fraud. I made this point in my opening statement. Previously, there have been discussions about social welfare fraud and a demonisation of everyone, but the vast majority of the people we pay are pensioners, child benefit recipients, lone parents and people with disabilities. They are not defrauding the system.