€632 million has been saved in a crackdown on social welfare fraud last year. According to the Department of Social Welfare Annual Report, 1.1 million reviews were carried out in 2013.

The Department says that more intense focus on fraud is having a positive impact on the system. The report also shows that 1.5 million people in Ireland received a weekly social welfare payment last year.

When spouses, partners and children are included, 2.3 million people benefited from these payments. It says some 600,000 families received Child Benefit payments in respect of almost 1.2 million children each month during 2013.

The Department says this was achieved while the Department continued to reduce overall welfare spending as part of "the necessary effort to get the public finances under control and exit the EU-IMF bailout programme".

Overall, Department spending was estimated at €20.2 billion in 2013 - the largest portion of which (31.9%) went on pensions and the smallest (2.8%) on administration of the Department's 70-plus separate schemes.

The projected spending for the Department this year is €19.6 billion.

Speaking to The Pat Kenny Show here on Newstalk, Social Protection Minister Joan Burton outlined how they have cracked down on fraud.