John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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547. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of control related reviews undertaken in 2016; and the number of cases in which an overpayment was identified. [19750/17]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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548. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if the figure of €468 million in control savings published by his Department in November 2016 includes savings which arose due to error by his Department due to error by the claimant and due to fraud; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19751/17]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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549. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total value of overpayments in 2016 as a percentage of total departmental expenditure. [19752/17]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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550. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of cases in which an overpayment arose due to error by his Department, due to error by the claimant, in estate cases and due to fraud in each of the years 2014 to 2016; and the value of each. [19753/17]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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551. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total value of overpayments recovered as a result of error by his Department, due to error by the claimant, in estate cases and due to fraud for each of the years 2011 to 2016. [19754/17]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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557. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total savings arising from the detection of social welfare fraud as opposed to control measures in each of the past three years; the basis upon which these savings are calculated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19773/17]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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565. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of cases of suspected fraud uncovered by his Department in each of the past five years; the number of cases of suspected fraud referred to the Garda; the number of overpayments due to departmental error; the number of overpayments due to other reasons; the amount of money involved in each relevant category, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19840/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 547 to 551, inclusive, 557 and 565 together.

Nearly 950,000 entitlement reviews and investigations were conducted across the Department’s schemes in 2016. These reviews yielded €506 million in control savings for the year. Reviews and investigations of entitlements are conducted by social welfare staff, social welfare inspectors and inspectors assigned to the Special Investigations Unit and a combination of desk-based assessment of entitlements, direct enquiries with recipients of social welfare payments, site and employer visits and face-to-face interviews are used.

The value of savings recorded by staff for the year 2016 was €506m. Savings are calculated when a social welfare claim is reduced in value or terminated following a review or investigation initiated by the Department. Control savings do not include any element where the customer voluntarily told the Department of changes in their means or circumstances which resulted in a reduction in the rate of payment or termination of the claim. Departmental error cases are also excluded from the savings figure.

The basis of the savings calculated is scheme specific. The nature of the scheme is taken into account - in particular whether it is short-term (e.g. jobseeker’s benefit or supplementary welfare allowance) or more long-term (e.g. State Pension Contributory/Non-Contributory). Also taken into account is the length of time a person who has a claim reduced or terminated is expected to remain off a particular scheme or at the reduced rate of payment.

A breakdown of the figure across social welfare schemes is set out in table 1.

Table 1: Savings recorded by social welfare scheme 2016

The Department raised €110m in overpayments in 2016 of which €41m related to customer fraud – further information on this is set out in tables 2 and 3. Total expenditure on the Department’s programmes and schemes in 2016 was €19.2 billion. Overpayments as a percentage of total programmes expenditure was, therefore, of the order of 0.5%. The value of overpayment recovered from customers for the years 2011 to 2016 is set out in table 4.

Table 2: Value of overpayments recorded by category: 2011 to 2016

Table 3: Number of overpayments recorded by category: 2011 to 2016

Table 4: Value of overpayments recovered: 2011 to 2016

The number of complaints referred to An Garda Síochána for prosecution under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001following consideration by the Department is set out in table 5.

Table 5: Cases referred to An Garda Síochána for prosecution: 2012 to 2016

I hope this clarifies the matters for the Deputies.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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552. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office which concerned an overpayment in 2016; and the number of these which were successful. [19755/17]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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553. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office which concerned an overpayment which arose due to fraud in 2016; and the number of these which were successful. [19756/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 552 and 553 together.

I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that statistics on the number of appeals receivedin the Social Welfare Appeals Office during 2016 which concerned an overpayment are not maintained on the appeals system. However, the following table provides details of the number of appeals concerning overpayments which were determinedby Appeals Officers during 2016 and the outcome of those appeals.

It should be noted that the figures provided do not reflect decisions which were revised by Deciding Officersof the Department in favour of the appellant as part of the appeal process as a statistical breakdown of such revised decisions to this level of detail is not available.

When an appeal is registered in the Social Welfare Appeals Office it is recorded by scheme type. It is only at the end of the appeal process, when an Appeals Officer has determined the appeal and is recording the decision on the appeals system, that the particular issue code(s), for example that it relates to an overpayment, is recorded.

Similarly, I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that it is not possible to provide the requested statistics concerning appeals of overpayment decisions which arose due to fraud in 2016 as this level of detail is not maintained on the appeals system.

Table: Overpayments - Appeals finalised by Appeals Officers in 2016