Garda probe of ‘irregularities’ ongoing after two years

Two years after it was uncovered in 2012, an investigation involving gardaí is still ongoing into "irregularities" involving Department of Social Protection staff in two supplementary welfare allowance cases which cost the State €1.2m.

The losses in one of the cases amounted to over €1m, according to the 2013 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, Séamus McCarthy.

Expenditure on supplementary welfare in 2013 was €611m, of which over 90% was on basic supplementary welfare allowance, rent supplement, mortgage interest supplement, and exceptional/urgent needs payments.

The C&AG said that in January 2013, after identifying the two cases, the department issued a circular to managers setting out minimum internal control requirements for the allowances. Its internal control support unit also began more rigorous monitoring of compliance with key management controls at local level.

The C&AG reported on seven recent examinations of supplementary welfare allowance payments carried out by the support unit and the department’s internal audit unit.

The review looked at 227 cases. In 52% of them, there was no photo identification on the claimant’s file; in 40% there was no bank statements on file; in 38% of cases there was insufficient documentation; and in 22% of the cases the payment rate or method was incorrect, or could not be determined based on documentation available.

Mr McCarthy also referenced a survey of controls over the supplementary welfare allowance scheme carried out in community welfare offices in Clondalkin and Letterkenny.

There were 50 cases examined in Letterkenny and 57 in Clondalkin. In Clondalkin, just 12 cases or 21% of the total were found to have no issues. The review found that in 39% of the cases the application forms were incomplete and in 44% of the cases, key supporting documentation, such as proof of identification or proof of address, was not on file.

In Letterkenny, 14 cases, or 28% of the total, were completed correctly. However, in 58% of the cases, key supporting documentation was not on file.

The C&AG said the department should carry out an up-to-date risk assessment to identify and document all risks associated with the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.