Joe Walsh
Question:143 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare if recipients who owed money to his Department had the amounts owed deducted from their equality payments. [3475/96]
Written Answers. - Equality Payments.
Retrospective equal treatment payments are being made in a number of instalments. Payments on account were made to all claimants by September 1995. Subsequent payments are being made following a detailed examination of individual claims. Where this examination revealed that overpayments had occurred on earlier equality payments the amounts over-paid were deducted from the balance of arrears due. Some 225 such cases were identified by my Department and the amounts due were recovered by deducting the sum due from further payments to be made. In addition there were two cases where overpayments in respect of earlier social welfare claims were recovered.
A number of legal issues concerning the question of recovery of overpayments are at present under consideration with the Attorney General's office. Any further action will depend on the outcome of this consideration.