STRICTER IDENTITY checks will be introduced for people collecting social welfare payments at post offices over the coming weeks after more than one-tenth of claims investigated were found to be bogus.
Photo identification, such as a driving licence, passport or national identity card, will be needed to collect payments.
The move follows a fraud inquiry launched last month involving detailed investigation of more than 2,700 welfare claimants in eight locations around the State. Of this number, some 275 have had their claims suspended and are no longer entitled to claim a benefit from the State.
Inspectors found evidence that some claimants were no longer resident in the country or money was being paid to individuals who were not the valid claimants.
The potential savings from stopping these claims alone would be in region of €2 million to €3 million, according to officials at the Department of Social and Family Affairs.
The vast majority of claims investigated (2,227) were in the “high-risk category” of non-Irish nationals claiming payments. Officials say these claims have a higher risk because of the mobility of welfare claimants between countries or because claimants may no longer be resident in the State. Of this figure, 270 payments were suspended.
A total of 45 claims involving Irish nationals in the northeast also resulted in five payments being suspended.
The highest rate of fraud among the eight locations where investigations took place was in the north-east, where some 20 per cent of claims investigated were bogus, followed by Galway (19 per cent) and Maynooth (16 per cent).
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin said tighter security checks were necessary to ensure only those who are entitled to benefits receive them.
“Staff working in post offices have to be satisfied that they are giving the right payment to the right person,” she said.
Our investigators are tackling welfare fraud on a number of different fronts as we have to ensure that only those rightfully entitled to a payment are in fact receiving it.
“Inspectors have paid home visits to those who are being paid benefits into their bank account (pre-July 2008 claimants) and to those who are more recently being paid weekly through the local post office.”
Social welfare inspectors are also taking part in vehicle check-point investigations along the Border counties as part of an operation involving the Garda and the Revenue Commissioners.
While anti-fraud measures are being ramped up, this follows a shortfall in the number of planned anti-fraud checks last year.
New figures show that thousands of planned checks on welfare recipients did not take place last year because inspectors were diverted to process unemployment benefit claims.
The Irish Times reported yesterday that Government measures aimed at saving money on welfare fraud last year yielded almost €60 million less than expected. While the Minister had projected savings of about €536 million for 2008, the department ended up saving about €476 million.
However, officials say these inspectors have since returned to their anti-fraud duties and that the number of fraud checks will increase significantly this year.
Ms Hanafin has said she hopes anti-fraud measures will yield in excess of €500 million by the end of this year.
