I want to raise another example of Government waste. The Minister for Social Protection told Aontú yesterday that there were €100 million in overpayments on the PUP payments in the Covid period. A total of 42,400 PUP overpayments were made during that period of time. Some 1,400 PUP payments were made due to fraud during that time. Due to the cyberattack, we had a specific type of fraud that happened where the identity of HSE and Tusla's employees were stolen, accounts were set up and hundreds of thousands of euro were drawn down in fraud in that regard as well. The PUP payment was obviously an income safety net for people during Covid but it seems tens of thousands of people were allowed to abuse the system with the result that there were €100 million of overpayments. When will the billions of euro of waste under this Government come to an end, what steps will the Taoiseach take to safeguarding such systems in the future and how will he recoup that €100 million for the taxpayer?

I am disappointed with the Deputy's approach in the sense that the PUP was essential for people.

Nobody argues that.

You do, actually.

No.

Sorry, you do. You are just playing it all ways.

You are answering a different question.

I just want to make the point. I am not making a different point; it is a very important point. If the State did not intervene in the emergency fashion that it intervened, businesses would have gone under and people would have been destitute and impoverished. That does not excuse fraud but if the State had been more cautious and slower and went through every single case, people would have been in deep trouble during the Covid.

Some 42,000 overpayments; €100 million.

The State took people on trust. The State said we have to intervene comprehensively and decisively and help people in their hour of need. That is what we did.

With safeguards.

You come back four years later and you say, "You are wasting money and you are full of it," etc. That is just disingenuous distortion. That is what that is.

You cannot set up payments without safeguards. That is what you are saying.

I want to say this: we will go after the overpayments.

The time is up.

The Department will go after the overpayments.

Thank you, Taoiseach.

Fraud must always be pursued and dealt with-----

Some €100 million.

Thank you, Taoiseach.

-----but there is always a balance in life. Let us give people credit. A lot of people did the right thing during Covid-----

Taoiseach, please.

-----particularly the Department of Social Protection.