Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, further to Parliamentary Question No. 838 of 3 November 2009, the number of prosecutions in respect of persons found to be claiming disability benefit fraudulently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41420/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The number of Illness Benefit (previously known as Disability Benefit) cases currently with the Chief State Solicitors Office (CSSO) at various stages of the criminal prosecution process is twenty. Ten of these cases were submitted in the first ten months of 2009. In addition, a further seven cases are currently being considered by the Department for criminal proceedings. The number of Illness Benefit cases finalised in court up to the end of October 2009 was nine. Criminal proceedings in these nine cases were initiated prior to 2009. The court outcomes were as follows: - Six clients were fined and three clients received a suspended jail sentence ranging from two weeks to six months.