asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider ensuring that all social welfare cheques have the sums written out on them as opposed to just typing in the digits and value of the cheque in order to avoid the increasing incidence of fraud.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Cheques.
441.
The majority of the Department's cheques are for disability benefit and are produced by a computerised system, which does not have a facility to print the amounts in words. The system is, however, undergoing a major redesign at present and arrangements are being made to include this facility in the new system.
The Department have, in addition, three smaller cheque/payable order systems, two of which already carry the facility to print the amounts in words and in figures and the third will shortly have this facility also.
The number of cases of fraudulent tampering with the amounts on departmental cheques is very small and if not discovered before encashment, they invariably come to light when the cashed cheques are reconciled against cheque issues. Appropriate action to recover any overpayment is taken in all these cases.