Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 October 2020
153. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on social welfare overpayments as detailed by the Comptroller and Auditor General; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28975/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI welcome the recent publication by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) of his report on the Accounts of Public Services for 2019, and in particular, the chapter on "Control over Social Welfare Payments". My Department's budget in 2019 was over €20bn, and the oversight of the C&AG is essential to ensuring public confidence in the control and anti-fraud measures in place to protect the monies entrusted by the taxpayer and authorised by the Oireachtas.
My Department operates approximately 80 schemes and programmes. While the vast majority of payments made under these schemes are appropriate, payments in excess of entitlement can and do happen. These overpayments can arise in a number of ways, including through customer errors, official error by Department staff and through suspected fraudulent claiming of benefits.
My Department has published a Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy, covering the years 2019 to 2023, to ensure that a clear and strategic approach to preventing and detecting social welfare suspected fraud and error underpins the control work of the Department. The Strategy consists of 4 pillars (Prevent, Deter, Detect and Account ) which are leveraged to ensure that suspected fraud and non-compliance in our welfare system is kept to a minimum during the lifetime of the Strategy.
Under the strategy, my Department conducts control reviews of schemes to help ensure that our customers are entitled to a payment and that the level of payment is correct. The majority of claims are selected for review based on risk analysis, including the level of expenditure and numbers of claimants on the scheme, emerging risks from analysis of schemes by the Department’s Business Analytics Unit and risks identified from outcomes of previous control reviews on the scheme. Using this methodology allows the Department to identify both the risks with scheme operations and the steps that are necessary to address any control weaknesses.
My Department also carries out Control Surveys on two schemes each year. These reviews are randomly selected and published each year and are used by the C&AG to monitor suspected fraud and error rates and make recommendations where they feel controls may need to be enhanced.
My Department has noted and will implement the recommendations issued by the C&AG as quickly as possible to ensure that weaknesses identified in control of payments are addressed.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
