Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be very happy to take the details of the pensioner Deputy Joan Collins has mentioned. Someone who has earned a contributory pension has paid for it and it is his or her entitlement. In dealing with the massive expenditure in the Department of Social Protection the people in it have a duty to see to it that the payments made are in order. That is the reason this year it is expected that between 800,000 and 900,000 public service cards will issue. There has been a consistent pattern of scams within the Department, that is, of individuals scamming the Department in which fraud has applied. Because of the changes made by the Minister and the introduction of advanced technology, a stop has been put to a great deal of this, rightly so. I do not know the details of the pensioner mentioned by the Deputy, but if she gives them to me afterwards, I will be happy to follow through on the issue for her. I do not know the reason a contributory pension would be cut off unless there was some reason for it to happen. Even in the case of a random check, it still should have shown up that a contributory pensioner should continue to receive her pension. Consequently, I will be happy to take the details from the Deputy and discuss the matter with the Minister for Social Protection. In general, serious changes have been made in the system of payments to cut out fraud and the abuse of public moneys. This is the right and proper thing to do and the Government will continue to support the Minister in that regard.

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