Over €130 million in incorrect social welfare payments still unrecovered

OVER €130 million that was incorrectly paid out to social welfare recipients had still to be recovered at the beginning of this year.

Last year alone the Department of Social and Family Affairs detected €47m worth of payments that were transferred to ineligible claimants on top of the €115m that was carried over from previous years.

Of total figure that was outstanding at the beginning of 2006 €35m dates back to 2002 or before and does not include the €30m that has been written off as unrecoverable.