Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will get information for the Deputy on a claimant who has moved abroad. It depends on whether it is possible to identify his or her earnings.

During 2012, 161 of the cases were referred to the Chief State Solicitor’s office for criminal prosecution. Obviously, these are the ones at the more serious end of the spectrum. In last year’s social welfare Bill I gave powers to social welfare inspectors to question people at ports and airports in cases where they were suspected of repeatedly coming in and out of the country to make claims or of Irish people who had moved abroad and were coming back to make claims. Several such cases have been prosecuted, but, again, this is at the serious end of the scale.

Up to 84 cases were referred to An Garda Síochána and are under consideration for prosecution. We run many joint investigations with the Garda, the Revenue Commissioners, the Customs service and other agencies such as the Taxi Regulator. There are many complaints made by people working legitimately in the taxi industry that they are being undercut by unregistered moonlighting taxi drivers who are drawing social welfare payments.

We are rolling out the personal services card, with up to 250,000 issued so far. We require people to co-operate with this process which is further provided for in this legislation.

On invitation to have a photograph taken, it is interesting that some people decide they cannot have it taken there and then. There is a problem in terms of multiple identities being claimed by a few individuals.

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