Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 133: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, further to Parliamentary Question No. 79 of 2 April 2008, the number of the 100,000 promised reviews completed in 2008; the number completed to date in 2009; the projection to year end; the levels of fraud involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13725/09]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps being taken to tackle fraudulent child benefit claims; the control measures in place to ensure that claims for child benefit and early child care supplement in respect of non-resident children are [i]bona fide[/i] and remain so; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13726/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to answer Question Nos 133 and 134 together.

The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department. All Child Benefit claims require a minimum level of information and documentation to be provided and verified before being awarded. The amount of information and documentation required varies depending on the customer circumstances, for instance the child's place of birth.

Given the significant changes in the Child Benefit customer base and in the value of Child Benefit payments, the control policy for the child benefit scheme, and consequently the Early Childcare Supplement (ECS) scheme, has been reviewed to ensure that controls against fraud and abuse of the schemes continue to be effective and relevant. As a result of this review, enhanced and updated control measures have been devised, which enable the automated issue of forms (certificates) to sub-sets of selected groups of customers for completion and return to the Department to confirm that they continue to satisfy the conditions for receipt of Child Benefit/ECS.

In the case of non-Irish national recipients who are resident in Ireland with their children, certification that the children continue to reside here is required – the proof of such residence can be provided via details of the school or college their child attends or, if the child is not of school-going age, details of the doctor or crèche they attend. This information is used to verify that the children are resident in Ireland.

With regard to EU nationals who are working in Ireland but who have qualified children living in another EU state and are entitled to Irish family benefits under EU law, certification by their employer of continuing employment is requested. The certification letters currently issue on a three monthly basis. Where the required certification is not provided within the timescale requested, 21 days, the payment of Child Benefit/ECS is suspended pending further enquiry and ultimately terminated if confirmation of continued entitlement is not forthcoming. A fraud and error strategy is also in place for returned forms.

In 2008 a total of 87,850 reviews was completed, 92% of target. 5141 Child Benefit claims were terminated as a result of reviews undertaken, resulting in savings of some €47m to the Department. To date in 2009 a total of 41,908 reviews has been undertaken. It is intended to complete approximately three times this many reviews in total in the full year.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the rates of fraud across the range of social welfare payments and the actual saving made in each category in 2008; the corresponding figures for the qualified adult allowance and for the child dependant allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13734/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The prevention of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department. A key objective of the Department's control strategy is to ensure that the right person is paid the right amount of money at the right time. Almost €476 million in Social Welfare payments was saved through fraud control measures in 2008, an increase of €29 million on the previous year. The breakdown by scheme is as follows:

Savings are calculated using the total rate of payment at the time of a reduction or termination, therefore there is no breakdown recorded in relation to increases for qualified adult or qualified child.

I am committed to ensuring that social welfare payments are available to those who are entitled to them. I am also determined to ensure that abuse of the system is prevented and is dealt with effectively when detected. In this regard the control programme of the Department is carefully monitored and the various measures are continuously refined to ensure that they remain effective.