Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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378. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of and amount in overpayments made, by heading, to persons in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will clarify whether a collection agency was utilised or individual to recover overpayments. [67767/25]

Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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379. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of fraud investigations into payments made by her department in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; the number of those that resulted in enforcement action and or criminal conviction and the amount recovered. [67768/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 379 together.

The Department’s anti-fraud and control measures are designed to prevent and detect fraud, ensure effective oversight of schemes, pursue the prosecution of offenders where appropriate and recover any overpaid entitlements identified.

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. 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.

Table 1 sets out the total number of overpayments raised, value of the overpayments and total recoveries for 2023 and 2024. Data for 2025 data is not available until after audit by the C&AG.

Table 1:

* Recoveries may include overpayments raised in other years but are being repaid in the current year.

Table 2 below shows the value of overpayments for 2023 and 2024 broken down by category:

Table 2:

The Department does not engage collection agencies or any outside bodies in recovering overpayments.

Table 3 sets out the number of reviews and the associated value of overpayments raised where an element of 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.

Table 3:

*Recoveries may include overpayments raised in other years but are being repaid in the current year.

Where we find suspected fraudulent activity, each individual case is examined and the Department decides on a relevant course of action, up to and including prosecution, if so warranted.

Table 3 sets out the number of criminal cases referred to the CSSO for prosecution and the number of prosecutions taken in 2023 and 2024.

Table 3:

Criminal cases are referred to the Chief State Solicitor’s Office (CSSO) throughout the year on an ongoing basis and for that reason, as well as the legal process, cases are unlikely to be finalised within the same calendar year.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.