Denis Naughten
Question:36 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps being taken to identify overpayments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11694/12]
View answerThursday, 1 March 2012
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Written answers
Ensuring that the right person is paid the right amount of money at the right time is an integral part of the day-to-day work of the Department which makes payments to over one million people every week. It is important to emphasise, that the vast majority of people are receiving the entitlement due to them each week. Overpayments are generally defined as money obtained contrary to or in excess of a valid decision. Most overpayments arise as a result of a revised decision regarding entitlement. Deciding officers decide the effective date of a revised decision having regard to the new facts or new evidence and the circumstances of the case. An overpayment is assessed for the period that a client was not entitled to a payment and the recovery of the overpayment is followed up by the relevant section of the Department.
It is the policy of the Department to pursue recovery of all overpayments. In 2010, a total of 51,950 overpayments were assessed on individual cases. These represented €83.4m or 0.41% of total Departmental expenditure in that year. The overpayments figures for 2011 are not available until audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
In 2010 almost 930,000 control reviews were undertaken while in 2011, in excess of 980,000 reviews were carried out. Such activity may lead to the assessment of an overpayment. However, not all overpayments arise from control reviews. Overpayments also arise, for example, where the client, of their own volition, reports a change in their means or circumstances which results in a reduction in their entitlement. If there is a time lag between the occurrence of such change in means or circumstances and the revision in the rate of payment, an overpayment can arise.