Social welfare inspectors uncovered more than 6,000 cases of suspected welfare fraud last year, leading to the recovery of more than €14 million in public money.
Suspected fraud cases uncovered in 2024 totalled 6,007, up from 5,097 the previous year.
Data covering the six years from 2018 to 2023 shows suspected fraudulent activity arose most frequently in applications for jobseekers payments, followed by illness benefit, child benefit, the one-parent family allowance and supplementary welfare allowances.
There was also a large number of cases where investigators suspected the person did not live in Ireland.
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According to information given to Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan by the Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary, the total value of overpayments made in cases of suspected fraud in 2024 was an estimated €24 million.
Some €14 million was recovered last year, some of which could also come from cases that were investigated in previous years. Since 2020, more than €100 million has been recovered in relation to suspected fraud cases.
The Department of Social Protection said overpayments of social welfare entitlements can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in their application or through error on the part of either the claimant or the department.
It said cases of suspected fraud arise where a deciding officer is satisfied there is sufficient evidence that a person “deliberately provided false or misleading information or wilfully concealed relevant information” regarding their welfare entitlement. There is a “high evidential standard” for such cases, the department said.
Mr Geoghegan said the figures highlight the “ongoing challenge” of social welfare fraud, with about 1,000 more suspected cases reported last year compared to 2023.
He noted the department has imposed a “high threshold” for categorising cases as suspected fraud, yet last year investigators still found credible grounds for believing 6,000 people deliberately provided false or misleading information about their entitlements.
“The vast majority of people receiving welfare payments are fully entitled to the support they receive,” he said. However, he added, the figures serve as a “stark reminder of the seriousness of fraud and the cost it imposes on taxpayers”.
“We must remain vigilant. Welfare fraud is not a victimless crime,” he said.
From 2018 to 2023 jobseekers payments accounted for 71 per cent of cases involving an element of suspected fraudulent activity. Illness benefit claims accounted for 7 per cent of the suspected fraud cases, while child benefit was the source of 6 per cent, the one-parent family allowance arose in 4 per cent and supplementary welfare allowances accounted for 2 per cent.
The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, accounted for 7 per cent of suspected fraud cases in 2021, and 10 per cent the following year.
Nearly 6 per cent of the cases arising between 2018 and 2023 related to people who were deemed absent from the State, with the vast majority of these relating to child benefit claims.
Social welfare investigators carry out checks at various stages of the application process, including at the award stage and during follow-up reviews. These reviews can involve home visits and matching claims with records from the department and elsewhere.
Social welfare inspectors work alongside a special investigations unit, which is a team of data analysts and seconded members of An Garda Síochána.
