Anti-fraud campaign saves €200m this year

Minister for Social and Family Affairs Séamus Brennan said an anti-fraud crackdown on social welfare payments has generated saving of about €200 million so far this year.

He said anti-fraud measures in the area of unemployment payments had produced savings of over €62 million.

Savings of €49 million in one-parent family payments and of €30 million in illness payments had also been achieved.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs said that about 170,000 claim reviews had been conducted in the first six months of the year.

It said 2,129 employers had undergone PRSI inspections and that 87 per cent had been found to be compliant.

In a statement yesterday Mr Brennan said that every euro obtained knowingly through fraud was a euro taken out of the pocket of those more in need of a welfare lifeline.

"I am determined to ensure that abuse of the system is prevented and is dealt with effectively when detected, and I will take whatever steps are necessary to achieve this," he said.

Mr Brennan said that about 975,000 people claimed weekly social welfare payments, supports or entitlements.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs said 166 cases of alleged fraud had been sent to the Chief State Solicitor's Office for the initiation of proceedings.

It said 144 cases had been finalised and 50 people had been fined, nine were given suspended sentences, seven received community service and 27 the Probation Act.

The department said social welfare fraud could arise in a number of ways, including people making false declarations or concealing material facts to obtain payments or deliberately failing to provide notification of a change in circumstances. It said that fraud by employers included a failure to comply with PRSI regulations.

It said that overpayments could arise in cases such as where there had been an undisclosed change in marital status or a failure to disclose full means or increases in means.

"Measures to control fraud and abuse include desk review of claim papers, home visits, the issue of mail-shots to selected customers, database checking, medical reviews in the case of illness payments, etc," the department said.