Anti-fraud measures saved the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs £164 million last year.
In addition, says the Department's annual report, checking of employers' records uncovered arrears of income tax and PRSI amounting to £12.5 million.
The Department had a 100 per cent conviction rate for the 160 cases in which people were prosecuted for fraud last year. In all, 243 cases were referred to the Chief State Solicitor's Office for prosecution but some were still outstanding at the end of the year.
The biggest anti-fraud savings were in unemployment payments (£74 million), pensions (£45 million) and illness (£32 million).
The report shows considerable variation in the time taken to process applications for various payments. Ninety per cent of Children's Allowance (Child Benefit) claims were processed within a week; 55 per cent of old age contributory pension claims within five weeks; and 80 per cent of claims for the carer's allowance within eight weeks.
The report also notes that it takes an average of only 17 seconds for the Department to answer the telephone.
