Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 324: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will deal with a matter (details supplied) regarding social protection fraud; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23100/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I do not tolerate social welfare fraud, regardless of the scheme involved or the position of the person claiming it. It is a crime and persons defrauding the social welfare system will be pursued by my Department.

The reorganisation of Departmental responsibilities along with the addition of almost 2,000 Community Welfare Staff (CWS) and FÁS staff to my Department will enhance our ability to interact directly with all our customers in more effective ways. The transfer of functions brings together employment supports and associated income support services in one organisation, the National Employment and Entitlements Service (NEES). Arising from this, a more integrated approach to fraud control can now be realised. A single customer view for control purposes will be created.

I have launched a strategic fraud and control plan earlier this week to ensure a targeted response to high risk sectors and to ensure an integrated approach to the prevention, deterrence and detection of social welfare abuse across the Department's schemes and services.

Ensuring that the right person is paid the right amount of money at the right time is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department of Social Protection. My Department processes in excess of 2 million claims each year and it makes payments to some 1.4 million people every week. The majority of payments issue to people who are fully entitled to their payment.

For 2011, the Department of Social Protection has a target of reviewing 780,000 individual welfare claims and to achieve €540m in control savings. This figure is the value of the control activity in the Department and if this work did not take place there would, over time, be a similar increase in total social welfare expenditure. To the end of July, my Department has carried out reviews on over 350,000 individual claims and have achieved control savings totalling almost €345m.

The control emphasis under the new control plan will be on increasing home visits by investigators and comprehensive face to face interviews of persons suspected of fraudulent activity. There will be a re-emphasis towards on-site inspections to increase a visible Departmental presence across those sectors of the economy where social welfare fraud is prevalent.

The Department's Special Investigation Unit will undertake a series of targeted national projects aimed at the prevention and detection of social welfare fraud in high risk sectors, schemes and client cohorts. The unit will also work closely and collaboratively with other compliance and fraud investigation agencies to ensure that Social Welfare abuse is comprehensively deterred and detected (i.e. Revenue, NERA, and Garda Síochána).

A key aspect of control policy is to ensure that appropriate deterrents and sanctions are applied in instances where social welfare fraud has been detected. Where people have been overpaid the Department will take appropriate steps to recover this debt, including deductions being made from ongoing social welfare payments, lump-sum recoveries, or the instigation of civil proceedings where appropriate. It is the Department's policy to consider for prosecution all cases of fraud against the social welfare system.

Public Service cards are to come into use later this year. The card will include a photograph and signature. One of the advantages of the new card is that it will help to reduce fraud and error which result from the incorrect identification of benefit claimants.

My Department is very conscious of its obligation to protect public money and is determined to ensure that abuse of the system is prevented and is dealt with effectively when detected.