Two in every five euro wrongly paid to welfare clients in 2012 attributed to fraud

The Department of Social Protection has been urged to chase cheats more vigorously after auditors reported a 92% increase in the value of annual welfare overpayments since 2007.

The Comptroller and Auditor General also found the amount of ineligible claims linked to fraud had more than doubled during the same period.

Currently, the Department of Social Protection believes that two in every five euro that was wrongly paid to clients last year happened because of fraud.