Unemployment benefit fraud detection
The Minister said 3,070 people were found working while receiving unemployment payments in 1987, with overpayments pursued and prosecutions initiated where evidence allowed. He cited about 501 staff involved in detection and £15.5 million in quantified savings from abuse of unemployment schemes.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of cases identified in 1987 where individuals in receipt of unemployment assistance or benefit were working at the same time.
Comment on this
In 1987 a total of 3,070 persons were identified as working while in receipt of unemployment payments.
In all of these cases action was taken to recover the amount of benefit or assistance overpaid to the claimant and, where there was sufficient evidence to support prosecution, legal proceedings were instigated. A number of cases have already been determined by the courts while more cases are pending.
Comment on this
Is the Minister aware of the concern expressed in recent reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General at the level of fraud obtaining in the Department of Social Welfare, this type of fraud as well as internal fraud? Could the Minister inform the House of the number of staff employed in his Department with direct responsibility for fraud detection?
Comment on this
The Deputy must realise that there are a number of elements involved in this. First, I should say that fraud is a very specific thing. Abuse is something that would not be defined as fraud, nor would unwarranted claiming. The total number of staff involved is just above 500, 501 or thereabouts. There is a special investigation unit on the job. I should say that the quantified savings from abuses of the unemployment benefit and assistance schemes in 1987 amounted to £15.5 million, made up of £4 million arising from the work of the special investigation unit, £3.3 million arising from the work of the external control unit and £8.2 million from the Jobsearch programme, which would not include people who went on courses or disability benefit abuse.
Deputies will realise that the whole operation of the system has been tightened up considerably in recent years, much of the work in this area having come to a head in the course of last year. The previous Government initiated a number of measures to tighten up the position. We went further with that exercise in the course of last year. Deputies can take it that the system and its operations have been considerably improved and savings increased considerably, particularly in the course of the past year.