asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of cases identified in 1987 where individuals in receipt of unemployment assistance or benefit were working at the same time.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Social Welfare Fraud.
8.
In 1987 a total of 3,070 persons were identified as working while in receipt of unemployment payments.
In all of these cases action was taken to recover the amount of benefit or assistance overpaid to the claimant and, where there was sufficient evidence to support prosecution, legal proceedings were instigated. A number of cases have already been determined by the courts while more cases are pending.
Is the Minister aware of the concern expressed in recent reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General at the level of fraud obtaining in the Department of Social Welfare, this type of fraud as well as internal fraud? Could the Minister inform the House of the number of staff employed in his Department with direct responsibility for fraud detection?
The Deputy must realise that there are a number of elements involved in this. First, I should say that fraud is a very specific thing. Abuse is something that would not be defined as fraud, nor would unwarranted claiming. The total number of staff involved is just above 500, 501 or thereabouts. There is a special investigation unit on the job. I should say that the quantified savings from abuses of the unemployment benefit and assistance schemes in 1987 amounted to £15.5 million, made up of £4 million arising from the work of the special investigation unit, £3.3 million arising from the work of the external control unit and £8.2 million from the Jobsearch programme, which would not include people who went on courses or disability benefit abuse.
Deputies will realise that the whole operation of the system has been tightened up considerably in recent years, much of the work in this area having come to a head in the course of last year. The previous Government initiated a number of measures to tighten up the position. We went further with that exercise in the course of last year. Deputies can take it that the system and its operations have been considerably improved and savings increased considerably, particularly in the course of the past year.
Could the Minister say how many people who fraudulently claimed unemployment assistance or benefit have been jailed and if there is any difference between his policy in pursuing fraud within this category of social welfare beneficiaries and others?
The Deputy would have to table a separate question in regard to the number of people who have actually been jailed. It did not form part of this question.
Is not the answer none?
No. Jail sentences have been passed and possibly were subsequently appealed. The Deputy would have to table a separate question in that regard. I would have to say that the number of prosecutions each week now is considerable. Every week there are regular prosecutions of a fair number of people.
How many employers who colluded in fraud of this nature have been prosecuted and how many fraudulent employers have been jailed?
These are rather distinct and separate questions.
Well, some have been and there are some more in the pipeline.
If some people have been jailed I should love to see that reported in the papers because it would frighten off very many more.