Advice has been issued to those that were overpaid
Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary(Image: Collins Photo, Dublin)
Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary has confirmed a massive overpayment for over 100,000 social welfare recipients.
New figures show that approximately 115,943 people across Ireland were overpaid and those now have a “liability to refund the overpayment”.
The number of overpayments is larger than in the previous years. In 2023, 87,732 people were overpaid social welfare by €115.6 million.
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He said: “The Department’s anti-fraud and control measures are designed to prevent and detect fraud, ensure effective oversight of schemes, pursue the prosecution of offenders where appropriate and recover any overpaid entitlements identified.
“Persons who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a payment to which they were not entitled.
“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.”
He added: “Where we find suspected fraudulent activity, each individual case is examined and the Department decides on a relevant course of action, up to and including prosecution, if so warranted.”
Meanwhile, Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary TD revealed the arrangements for the Christmas Bonus, which will reach more than 1.4m recipients this week, encompassing pensioners, carers and individuals with disabilities.
Payments worth €370 million in total will commence from today (Monday), with recipients collecting their Christmas Bonus on their usual payment day.
“I am very conscious of the pressure families are under, particularly in the run up to Christmas,” the Minister stated
“The Christmas Bonus is a vital support, particularly for our senior citizens. That’s why I am pleased to announce the details of the Christmas Bonus Payments today (Monday). 1.5 million people will benefit including our pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, and lone parents.”
The Minister added: “People will receive their Bonus payment on the same day that they usually receive their weekly pension or other primary payment.
“As always, I would encourage people, where possible, to shop locally in the run-up to Christmas this year. By shopping locally, you are supporting your local economy, your local community and your local small businesses.”
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