David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 215: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the computerisation of births, deaths and marriage records has eliminated the perceived risks previously identified with electronic funds transfer payment systems for social welfare recipients; if automatic computer systems are in place to link in appropriate ways and subject to data protection requirements the computerised records of births, deaths and marriages with his Department's computer systems in so far as these issue or generate payment instructions for periodic benefits such as pensions that could be paid efficiently by electronic funds transfer. [15681/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The introduction of electronic registration of life events, including births, marriages and deaths, has enabled the automatic transmission of registration data to my Department at the time of registration. The necessary systems have been put in place to electronically match registration data against social welfare payment systems to identify cases for appropriate action.

The information received from the civil registration system is a positive addition to existing measures in place to minimise possible overpayments whether payment is by way of electronic fund transfer or by personal payable order book. The necessary provisions have been incorporated into the Social Welfare Acts to meet data protection requirements as regards the receipt of life event data from the civil registration system.