410. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the proportion of the total social welfare overpayments raised in each of the years 2016 to 2025 that was attributable to proven fraud, customer error and official or administrative error respectively; and the monetary value associated with each category. [70352/26]
Topics / Social Welfare Fraud
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSocial Welfare Fraud
32 questions from 14 TDs, between 20 February 2025 and 6 October 2026.
32
questions
32 written, 0 oral
14
TDs have asked
7
parties and groups
Independents counted together
2
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 3 |
| March 2025 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 0 |
| June 2025 | 1 |
| July 2025 | 1 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 2 |
| October 2025 | 5 |
| November 2025 | 1 |
| December 2025 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 4 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 1 |
| April 2026 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 10 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 1 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
-
11
-
5
-
5
-
1
-
1
-
1
-
1
-
1
Asked of
The questions
107. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Social Protection the process used by his Department to identify and investigate suspected social welfare fraud; the number of cases of social welfare fraud detected and confirmed in each of the past three years; the value of any overpayments identified and recovered during that period; the measures currently in place to prevent fraud and abuse of the social welfare s…
620. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the arrangements with other countries to check if persons in receipt of payments from his Department are not in employment outside this jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45254/26]
658. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any guidance, staff training programme, operational protocol or technical system has been introduced since 2022 to assist departmental staff in identifying forged, AI-generated or digitally manipulated documentation submitted in support of social welfare claims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36869/26]
659. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has conducted any internal risk assessment, review or analysis regarding the use of artificial intelligence tools in the creation of forged identity, residency, employment, income or supporting documentation submitted in support of social welfare claims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36870/26]
660. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department uses any external forensic document analysis service, AI-detection software, biometric verification tool or digital authentication system when assessing suspected fraudulent social welfare claims; the annual cost of such systems or services since 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36871/26]
661. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of social welfare claims refused, suspended or terminated in each year from 2021 to 2026 due to concerns regarding forged, falsified or fraudulent documentation, where such information is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36872/26]
662. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department exchanges data or intelligence with An Garda Síochána, the Revenue Commissioners, financial institutions or other State bodies for the purpose of detecting forged or fraudulent documentation submitted in support of social welfare claims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36873/26]
663. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any increase has been identified in the submission of digitally altered or suspected AI-generated documentation in support of social welfare claims in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36874/26]
664. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department maintains statistics on the number of suspected forged-document cases referred onward to An Garda Síochána for criminal investigation in each year since 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36875/26]
665. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any dedicated unit, team or officer within his Department has responsibility for oversight, monitoring or investigation of forged or AI-generated documentation submitted in support of social welfare claims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36876/26]
666. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department maintains any internal classification, flag, incident category or reporting mechanism relating specifically to suspected AI-generated, digitally manipulated or synthetically altered documentation submitted in support of social welfare claims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36880/26]
566. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the procedures in place to detect the use of forged or AI generated documents submitted in support of social welfare claims; whether his Department has experienced an increase in suspected fraud involving forged or AI generated documentation in the past three years; the number of cases referred to investigation annually since 2021; and if he will make a…
192. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection the actions being undertaken by his Department to prevent and detect fraud and abuse within the social protection system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31477/26]
659. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason text messages from a Namibian phone number are sometimes used to verify online logins to MyGovID; if he accepts that many people are concerned about the legitimacy of the text messages as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21582/26]
101. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of fraud cases with social protection payments detected in each of the past five years. [6636/26]
102. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of cases in which a person has fraudulently claimed carer's allowance for another person who was unaware of the claim made in their name; the checks which are made with the GP who signed the form, that they are the persons own GP. [6637/26]
691. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated level of fraud and error in 2025 for jobseeker’s, disability, and child benefit schemes, as reported in his Department’s annual report. [5681/26]
1606. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if the Government can reconcile the “Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All” campaign with an amnesty that forgives employer welfare fraud. [2904/26]
277. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people convicted of welfare fraud in the years 2020 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60883/25]
385. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether officials within her Department are authorised to share information received from members of An Garda Síochána seconded to the Department, particularly information relating to ongoing or potential criminal investigations, with other public bodies; whether such disclosures are governed by a specific legal basis under the general data protection r…
386. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether her Department has a memorandum of understanding or any formal agreement in place with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions governing the transmission of case files or information from the Department to the DPP; whether officials within her Department are authorised, under any legislation, formal policy, or agreement, to inform othe…
329. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection to request an audit of a company’s (details supplied) 2023 declarations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52721/25]
335. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on recent reports (details supplied) that the child benefit payment system is subject to abuse by non-resident nationals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52853/25]
336. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons from 2018 to date who have had child benefit payments ended because of fraud or because they were found to have misled his Department with respect to compliance and eligibility rules; the estimated cost to the taxpayer involving such cases in terms of monies that were paid out that should not have been paid out to claimants during …