A Fine Gael TD has said a “very high” number of people are fraudulently claiming social welfare after new data revealed there were a suspected 6,000 such cases last year.
Dublin Bay South’s James Geoghegan requested the information from the Department of Social Protection after hearing anecdotes from friends about people “gaming the system”.
On The Pat Kenny Show, Deputy Geoghegan stressed that the “vast majority” of people on welfare are entitled to what they are claiming, but added that the level of fraud is still concerning.
“The number of suspected fraud cases, they are very high,” he said.
“6,000 cases [last] year - which is actually an increase of 1,000 cases [on the previous] year - and the money involved in those cases are very significant as well.
“Over €14 million recovered this year and €13 million recovered last year.
“If you take that in the context of the overall social welfare budget - which is €2.5 billion for this year - that’s less than 1%.
“But what it does show is that there are 6,000 individuals who are essentially willing to take the risk.”
A Social Welfare Inspector office in Dunmanway, County Cork, Ireland. Picture by: Alamy.com Deputy Geoghegan added that the true level might be higher, given the high burden of proof required for the Department of Social Welfare to launch a probe.
“When a department decides that they suspect of fraud, it’s a very high threshold for the deciding officer in the department,” he said.
“They have to be satisfied that there’s sufficient evidence that a person deliberately provided false or misleading information.”
'You will be prosecuted'
Since 2020, more than €100 million has been recovered and Deputy Geoghegan said it is clear there is a “strong and robust system”.
For those tempted to make a fraudulent claim, he had a simple message.
“You will be caught and in some cases, you will be prosecuted, as we’ve seen before the courts,” he said.
“So, I think it’s important for people out there to know that their tax money is being looked after.
“Equally, we have to be vigilant to the risk that is out there in terms of people trying to perpetrate this fraud.”
Suspected cases on welfare fraud can be reported to the Department of Social Protection here.
Main image: A woman takes money out of her purse. Picture by: Alamy.com
