Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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109. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that in future figures released by her Department that a distinction be made between fraud figures and error figures relating to payments made; her views that the general perception of the level of fraud amongst the population is tainted because of the poor reporting of the level of fraud caused by associating control figures, error figures and actual fraud figures. [39808/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department recognises that the vast majority of people receiving social welfare payments are legitimately entitled to them. However, fraud and abuse of the welfare system is also a reality and it needs to be tackled to protect the integrity of the system and ensure that the resources available are targeted at those who need them most.The Department’s overall approach to tackling fraud and abuse is set out in its Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy 2014 – 2018 which was published earlier this year. Control work is measured in terms of control savings and they are used as a performance indicator for year-on-year activities. Control savings represent an estimate of the value of prevented expenditure on claims over a future period. They refer to future expenditure that would have been incurred but for this control work. Without this control work, the social welfare expenditure would over time increase by this amount. Control savings do not include any cases of departmental error or any cases where the customer voluntarily told the Department of their means or circumstances, which resulted in a change to their rate of payment. Control savings arise from proactive reviews on claims in payment. The control savings achieved in 2013 was €631m.

The Department also reports on overpayments raised each year. In 2013, the total value of overpayments raised amounted to €127m. The Department distinguishes between overpayments it attributes to fraud or suspected fraud, client error or departmental error and estate cases.

Fraud or suspected fraud overpayments arise mainly on foot of false declarations by customers concerning their employment, income or family status. Error cases are primarily due to customer or third party error or departmental error. Estate cases arise where undisclosed means by customers (usually pensioners) come to light after their deaths.

The Department in undertaking measures to combat fraud and error does so to protect the integrity of the system for those who are in genuine need of support, the taxpayer and Irish society generally.