€140m per year lost in welfare fraud and errors

Almost €140m per year has been lost through fraud and errors in the jobseeker’s allowance scheme, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General report for 2013.

The €2.68m-a-week losses in payments to jobseekers, combined with significant losses in other social welfare schemes, has prompted the C&AG to recommend the Department of Social Protection carry out much more frequent fraud and error reviews.

It found that schemes with expenditure of over €500m are only being surveyed as little as once every seven to 10 years — the family income supplement has not been reviewed for fraud and errors since 2005.