Vol. 458 No. 2
21 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Social Welfare the total estimated level of social welfare fraud in each of the years 1994 and 1995; the total number of cases of social welfare fraud prosecuted in the courts; the number of convictions obtained; the total amount in respect of which prosecutions were initiated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16790/95]
34 Mr. Foley asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of detected cases of claimants who were in receipt of social welfare payments while working at the same time; the amount of money recovered since January 1995; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16750/95]
I propose taking Questions Nos. 21 and 34 together.
The detection of fraud and abuse of social welfare payments is an integral part of the day to day work of my Department, which has a programme of ongoing specialist control activities under way as part of its drive against fraud, abuse and unwarranted recourse to social welfare. There are over 500 staff working on these control activities, including specific investigation units which work at local, regional and national level within the Department.
These units, one of which works in conjunction with Revenue staff, carry out inspections of employers in relation to their PRSI obligations, investigate cases of concurrent working and claiming social welfare payments, review customers' means for assistance payments and monitor their ongoing entitlements to social welfare payments.
The savings attributed to control activities in 1994 were £118 million; the figure for 1995 is estimated at £122 million, (£100 million to the end of October 1995).
The value of overpayments attributed to fraud in 1994 was £11.4 million and the figure was £8.1 million to end October 1995.
Since January 1995 some 4,845 cases of concurrent working and claiming have been detected. The overpayments in these cases amounted to £2.08 million. Details of the amounts recovered from these overpayments in 1995 are not yet available.
Prosecutions are taken against persons who defraud social welfare schemes, and against employers who fail to honour their obligations under the PRSI system. All cases involving fraud or abuse of the social welfare system are examined with a view to initiating legal proceedings. This involves striking a balance between the need to vigorously pursue serious fraud and abuse, against a concern not to be unduly harsh in circumstances where a person's situation is such that recourse to the full rigour of the law might be inappropriate.
The total number of prosecutions finalised in court in 1994 was 59, of which ten related to employer fraud. Convictions were secured in 52 of those cases, seven of which related to employers. The total value of overpayments in the cases prosecuted amounted to £126,259.
To date in 1995, a total of 51 prosecutions have been finalised in court, of which 23 relates to employer fraud. Convictions have been secured in 41 of these cases, with 23 relating to employers. The value of overpayments in the cases prosecuted amounted to £170,155.
