Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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45. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the breakdown of the savings of €64,000,000 that the 20-man Garda unit has saved her Department so far this year, of which €23,000,000 was attributed to fraud; if all this money has been recoverd; if the Revenue Commissioners have examined the cases where moneys were recovered; if she will use this money to reinstate the benefits cut to those most in need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48761/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The secondment of 20 Gardaí to the Department to assist the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) with fraud investigation work only took effect from last Friday, 5th December, having been agreed earlier this year with the Minister of Justice and Equality and An Garda Síochána. In the circumstances, it is too early to predict with any certainty the precise additional financial savings that will arise from their secondment.

The figure of €64 million refers to savings generated by the SIU resulting from their investigations up to the end of November 2014. It includes a figure of €23 million relating to overpayments established in respect of 2,113 case investigations.

As of the end of November 2014, a total of 3,972 cases of fraud have been investigated resulting in the cessation of or a reduction in a social welfare payment. Control savings of €41 million have been generated from these case investigations. These savings represent the value of prevented expenditure over a future period that would have been incurred if this investigative and control work had not been carried out.

The Department’s policy is to ensure that every effort is made to prevent overpayments but, where they occur through fraud, every effort is made to recover the amounts due. In 2013, there were a total of 84,702 overpayments with a value of €127 million while the total value of recoveries was €70.7 million. People who have been overpaid social welfare payments have a liability to refund that money as they have been in receipt of money to which they were not entitled.

A social welfare debt will not become statute barred for recovery. It remains with a debtor for all future entitlement payments and can be collected thereafter from any remaining estate.