Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 387: To ask the Minister for Social Protection, further to Parliamentary Question No. 238 of 29 November 2011, if she will clarify the figures for social welfare fraud as opposed to suspected fraud in 2010. [3970/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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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 my Department which processes in excess of 2 million claims each year and makes payments to some 1.4 million people every week at a cost of some €21 billion per annum. However, it is important to recognise that the vast majority of people are receiving the entitlement due to them. In 2010, total overpayments amounted to €83.4m which represented 0.41% of total Departmental expenditure. Overpayments arising from activity suspected of being fraudulent amounted to €25.9m in 2010.

The classification of an overpayment is based on the revised decision by a deciding officer of the Department regarding a claimant's entitlement. The revised decision is based on all the relevant facts and circumstances of the particular case. An overpayment arising from the revised decision will be deemed to be due to either (a) fraud/suspected fraud, (b) customer or third party error or (c) Departmental error. In this context, there is no distinction made between the fraudulent or suspected fraudulent claiming. A case is only confirmed as being fraudulent where the Department successfully prosecutes a claimant for a social welfare offence.