James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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276. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of cases where the Department has found suspected fraudulent activity, for each year over the past five years; the total value of overpayments for each of those years identified; the value of recoveries made for each of those years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7108/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Overpayments of social welfare entitlements can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in their application or through error on the part of either the claimant or the Department. Persons who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a payment to which they were not entitled.

The table below sets out the number of overpayments raised and the associated value of those cases where fraudulent activity was suspected. These cases arise where a deciding officer is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence that a person deliberately provided false or misleading information or wilfully concealed relevant information in relation to their entitlement. The Deputy will appreciate that there is a high evidential standard to be met in such cases.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.