Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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105. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will undertake a national print media advertising campaign to encourage members of the public to report social welfare fraud; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43570/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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It is evident that the vast majority of social welfare recipients are legitimately entitled to the payments they receive. However social welfare fraud undermines public confidence in the entire social protection system as well as being unfair to other recipients of social welfare payments and to taxpayers. Control of fraud and abuse of the social welfare system is one of the three key functions of the Department and therefore has been one of my priorities since I came to the Department.

The Department has made some significant inroads in tackling social welfare fraud. In April of 2014 the Department published a new Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy 2014 – 2018. The new strategy builds on the approach and progress made under the previous Initiative.

Enhanced access channels - both online and dedicated phone lines - are available to citizens who wish to report incidences of welfare fraud. Citizens who wish to report suspected incidences of welfare fraud can do so both online and to dedicated phone lines as follows:

-By email:

-By phone: (01) 6732123 or (071) 9672648 orLocall: 1890 927999.

-By Post:

Central Control Division, DSP, Shannon Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim.

A payment is not suspended or stopped solely on the basis of an anonymous report. The anonymous report, however, may be a “trigger” for the instigation of a review of a customer’s entitlement. All anonymous or confidential reports received are examined and where relevant, are referred for follow-up action. A total of 12,787 reports were dealt with by the Department’s Control Division from January - October 2015.

There are no plans to undertake a national print media advertising campaign encouraging members of the public to report social welfare fraud at this time. It should be borne in mind that there is often a perception of fraud however when a case is examined the individual may be doing something that is allowed under the rules for the particular payment that they are in receipt of e.g. working and receiving a OPF payment provided earnings are within the limits and the Department is aware of the situation is legitimate.