Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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22. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to address the persistent control savings associated with child benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10337/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Child benefit is a payment to parents for the support of their children. It is paid to some 607,919 families in respect of 1.16 million children, with an expenditure of approximately €1.9 billion in 2013.

Safeguarding the child benefit budget is a priority and, in this regard the Department has taken a proactive approach to ensuring that it is only paid to eligible families. A policy of issuing continuing eligibility certificates to parents commenced in 2008 and is still in operation. The control policy for the scheme was reviewed in 2010 to ensure that controls in place to prevent fraud and abuse continue to be effective and relevant. As a result of this review, additional enhanced and updated control measures have been devised and implemented.

Control savings are future expenditure that would have been incurred but for this control work. They do not include any cases of departmental or clerical error or any cases where the customer voluntarily told the Department of changes to their means or circumstances, which resulted in a change to their rate of payment.

The total savings from child benefit control activity was €83 million in 2012 and €74 million in 2013. The level of savings achieved is due to the effectiveness of the control programme in ensuring that child benefit is only paid to eligible families.