Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I do not propose to accept this amendment concerning penalties for offences. The maximum penalty currently in place in criminal cases taken summarily in the District Court is a fine not exceeding €1,500 per offence or a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both fine and imprisonment. A commencement order for the Fines Act 2010, which is currently being drafted, will increase the fine from €1,500 to €2,500 per offence. A community service order under the Criminal Justice (Community Service) Act may be made by any court other than the Special Criminal Court in respect of any offender over 16 years of age convicted of an offence for which the appropriate sentence would otherwise be one of imprisonment. The Department's control activities report has been examined by the Comptroller and Auditor General in the Committee of Public Accounts. The Department has a programme of employer inspections to ensure accurate records of employees are kept, the correct class of PRSI is being deducted and remitted, employees are not concurrently working and claiming social welfare payments and employers are aware of their responsibilities with regard to social welfare and tax legislation. Due to industrial action, total year-to-date control savings and reviews have not been fully recorded. However, on the basis of what has been recorded to the end of May 2010, approximately 137,000 reviews have been carried out as well as 332 employer inspections, yielding average savings of €110 million. There are approximately 600 staff at local and regional level whose work includes control activities. We are continuing to target this area. Most people brought to court by the Department are not employers; the vast majority are recipients of social welfare. I will pass the detail onto the Members later.