Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

67. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the use of press releases to provide an unclear picture of the levels of actual fraud in her Department. [17541/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Department is acutely conscious that the vast majority of people on social welfare are claiming the correct entitlement due to them. Nevertheless, it has to be recognised that fraud within the welfare system does occur.

In order to protect the integrity of the system and to ensure that we continue to target our scarce resources at those who most need them, a range of measures are employed by the Department to ensure that social welfare fraud is minimised and that its control activity is appropriately focused.

The Department fully recognises that it is important that any discussion or messaging on social welfare fraud should ensure that recipients of social welfare are not stigmatised and portrayed in a negative light. In terms of any press communications and releases, the Department ensures that these are carefully presented and factually correct.

The Department's overall approach to tackling social welfare fraud is set out in the Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy 2014-2018. A Progress Report on key outcomes from 2014 will be finalised shortly.