Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he is satisfied that the new measures planned to control overpayments are sufficiently robust; the targets that have been set in terms of reducing overpayments or fraud; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26265/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The overall goal of my Department's new Debt Management Strategy is to actively pursue the recovery of debt to maximise recovery levels, with due regard to value for money and with particular emphasis on recovery from people no longer dependant on welfare payments. The objectives of the strategy are

To maximise the recovery of overpayments

To efficiently record, report and monitor the occurrence and recovery of overpayments

To fulfil statutory, accounting and reporting obligations

To conduct overpayment and debt management as efficiently as possible

One of the key elements to the strategy is the introduction of the Overpayment and Debt Management (ODM) computer system which will record all overpayments and debt recovery data and will allow for timely and efficient management of debt. The new ODM system is now in operation in a number of areas in my Department and is being rolled out on a phased basis to all other sections. It is expected that all areas will be using the new system by the second quarter of 2008.

The debt management strategy will be achieved by the introduction of a strengthened policy on overpayments and debt management in the Department and by making the organisational and procedural changes necessary to achieve this. The strategy will be kept under review to ensure the achievement of its primary goals.

The debt management strategy is the fourth pillar of my Department's control strategy to deal with overpayments and to combat fraud and abuse of schemes, the other three pillars being prevention of fraud and error at the initial claim stage, early detection through effective review of claims in payment and measures to deter fraud.

Targets for control activity for 2007 include 422,480 reviews of entitlements over all scheme areas. A total of 258,433 reviews have been carried out to end-September 2007, which is 81% of the Department's year to date target.

Overpayments are attributed to fraud, customer or third party error, or departmental error. In 2006, overpayments attributed to fraud amounted to €20.3m (45% of all overpayments), while customer or third party error totalled €23m (51%). Departmental error overpayments came to €1.8m (4%).