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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 3 Dec 1996

Vol. 472 No. 3

Written Answers. - Equal Treatment Payments.

Joe Walsh

Question:

240 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the steps, if any, he is taking to recover overpayments of £500,000 resulting from Departmental errors in relation to arrears of equal treatment payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23358/96]

Equal treatment arrears due to married women were paid in a number of instalments. Payments on account were initially made to all claimants in July-August 1995 and were calculated by reference to computer-based data in relation to payments made under the 1992 equal treatment provisions. Subsequent payments were made following a detailed review of individual claims. The overpayments came to light during the course of that review. The amount of the overpayments is now estimated at £1.64 million, of which £0.32 million related to cases involving legal proceedings and some £1.32 million relates to other claims. The overall amount overpaid is not expected to increase by any significant extent as the task of reviewing claims is now almost complete.

While every effort was made to avoid overpayments arising, nonetheless those which have occurred must be seen in the context of the formidable task of paying arrears to some 76,000 married women on claims made as far back as 1984. At that time schemes administered by the Department were not fully computerised with the result that comprehensive details of claims were not available in all cases. This presented difficulties when calculating arrears. Following advice received from the Attorney General on the matter, the recovery of overpayments in relation to claims not involved in legal proceedings is being dealt with by my Department under the provisions of the new code of practice on the recovery of overpayments which became effective from September 1996. The code allows, inter alia, for the repayment of an overpayment to be deferred, suspended, reduced or cancelled having regard to the particular circumstances of each case. The question of recovery of overpayments in cases involving legal proceedings is still under consideration.

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