Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

Child benefit control procedures have been effective to date. Payments are not made on foot of claims until all the necessary documentation has been obtained and verified. Sometimes this causes problems for the individuals concerned. We have to ensure we protect the taxpayer. The proper information has to be provided. The Department of Social and Family Affairs has a good working relationship with its counterparts in other countries. If claims are made in respect of children who are living abroad, we need proof, in the form of birth certificates, for example, of the existence of such children, their ages, their locations and their living arrangements etc. I have already highlighted how we deal with non-Irish nationals who are living here with their children. We look for confirmation of school attendance from their schools if they are of school-going age. If they are not yet old enough to go to school, we are happy to receive letters from the local crèche or doctor with whom they are associated. It is an effective scheme.

It is clear that we have to remain vigilant — there is no question about that. A number of units within the Department of Social and Family Affairs are making efforts to instigate control mechanisms to ensure that fraud is kept to an absolute minimum. There will always be a certain percentage of the public who try to defraud any system. We have to ensure that we do not allow such people to get past our system. If they do, we have to seek them out and catch them quickly.

See this speech in context