Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The amount of money recorded as control savings by the Department by the end of August 2009 was €312 million, which represented an increase of €5.5 million on the same period last year. It should be noted the Department only records as control savings moneys which are saved as a result of reviews of existing claims. However, particular focus is currently being placed on prevention of fraud and error at the claim application stage. This is the most cost-effective mechanism of reducing losses through fraud and error in social welfare schemes, but savings achieved in this way are not included in the published figures for control savings.

The Department has introduced a number of new measures to target control activity at high risk categories of claimants. For example, the special investigation unit is undertaking more regular interviews of high-risk recipients of jobseeker's payments, and those in the Border regions have put an increased emphasis on control of claims from applicants with a previous address in Northern Ireland. In addition, the option to receive payments by electronic fund transfer has been removed for new claimants for jobseeker's payments, who must now attend in person at the post office each week, thus confirming their continued residency in the country. Their claim is automatically suspended where two consecutive payments are not collected.

One-parent family payment recipients with earnings are being targeted for ongoing review, as this scheme has been identified as high risk in the Department's fraud and error surveys. We have also stepped up measures to prevent people fraudulently claiming child benefit while no longer living in Ireland. To that end, the frequency of mail shots to validate continued entitlement to child benefit has been increased to three months for EU workers and resident non-Irish national customers. New data matches with other public bodies have also been initiated to effectively target reviews and generate savings.

Overall, the Department is moving to a risk-based system of claim review, which it is hoped will achieve better value for money by focusing scarce resources on the most appropriate cases. A new control review policy for the disability allowance scheme was introduced in January 2009, which involves assigning and recording a risk rating at the award and review stage of all claims in the medical and means categories. A similar risk-based control review policy is being piloted for carer's allowance, with the same approach planned for invalidity pensions.

It is worth pointing out that the number of anonymous reports from members of the public has increased dramatically in the past year, with more than 4,600 reports made at the end of September 2009 compared to approximately 1,000 in 2008. Each report is followed up. I am determined to ensure that abuse of the social welfare system is prevented and is dealt with effectively when detected. In this regard, the control programme of the Department is carefully monitored and the various measures are continually refined to ensure they remain effective.

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