Written answers

Tuesday, 16 May 2017

Department of Social Protection

Social Welfare Fraud Data

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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286. To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 199 and 200 of 3 May 2017, the way in which savings of €77 million were made in 2016 from welfare fraud in respect of one parent family payments, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23230/17]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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287. To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 199 and 200 of 3 May 2017, if the €506 million in control savings made in 2016 were as a result of fraud alone, that is, that all of the €506 million savings were made as a result of persons deliberately trying to deceive his Department for financial gain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23231/17]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 and 287 together.

The savings of €506 million result from control and anti-fraud actions and measures implemented by the Department during 2016. Of this, some €41 million was attributable to fraud by the person claiming a benefit or assistance payment. Reviews and investigations of entitlements are conducted by social welfare staff and represent a combination of desk-based assessment of entitlements, direct enquiries with recipients of social welfare payments, and face to face interviews and investigations by members of the Special Investigations Unit.

Of the total control savings of €506 million, €77 million arose in the case of payments under the one parent family scheme in 2016. In 937 cases, a determination of fraud was made with an overpayment value of €3.2 million or just over €3,400 per claimant. The average value of overpayments in 2016 as a result of fraud was of the order of €2,500.

The Deputy should note that the control savings of €506 million exclude any element where there was voluntarily disclosure of means or changed 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.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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