Social welfare fraud tip-offs hit record levels
The reporting of social welfare fraud hit record numbers last year, it has been reported.
A total of 16,920 allegations of welfare cheating were recorded by the Department of Social Protection, according to the Irish Times.
The figure is up from 12,640 in 2010 and 6,429 in 2009.
The majority of the reports, 7,430, related to people who may be working while on the dole.
Some 4,470 reports were made about single parents living with a partner, which is against cohabitation rules.
Social Protection Minister Joan Burton will give a full account of the figures later today, outlining how much money her Department has saved.
