Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 January 2026
102. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of cases in which a person has fraudulently claimed carer's allowance for another person who was unaware of the claim made in their name; the checks which are made with the GP who signed the form, that they are the persons own GP. [6637/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhen an application for Carer's Allowance is received by my Department, it is referred to a Deciding Officer for decision. The application is decided based on the details provided on the application form and supporting documentation supplied by the applicant.
The Department does not have access to GP registration records and therefore cannot verify whether an individual is registered with a particular GP. However, it is an offence for a person to knowingly make a false or misleading statement or to provide documents or information which they know to be false in some respect for the purpose of obtaining or establishing entitlement to a social welfare payment.
Preventing fraudulent claims from entering the social welfare system or carrying out review activity to identify possible fraudulent claims in payment are key requirements for my Department.
Suspected fraud cases arise where a Deciding Officer is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence that a person deliberately provided false or misleading information or wilfully concealed relevant information in relation to their entitlement. There is a high evidential standard to be met in such cases. When my Department finds evidence of fraud, an overpayment is raised and pursued and in certain cases, the individual may be considered for prosecution.
If there is a particular case that the Deputy has in mind, please forward the details and I will have my officials examine it.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
