Priority Question on operation of computer systems in Department of Social Protection

Question No: 127 Ref No: 4440/13

To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to ensure the efficient operation of computer systems within her Department in order to allow for the effective management of information and to cross reference data with other State agencies such as the Revenue Commissioners; and if she will make a statement on the matter – Thomas Pringle.
* For PRIORITY answer on Tuesday, 29th January, 2013.

R E P L Y

The Department of Social Protection has a number of systems which have been developed over many years to enable it to pay multiple groups of clients and manage data in relation to its various schemes. These systems reliably deliver over 87 million payments yearly between them. Although developed independently, mechanisms exist on its major systems whereby significant changes made to customer or claim details are automatically notified to other relevant systems.

The Department is working towards consolidation on a single ICT ‘platform’ (the Business Object Model implementation (BOMi)). This work is carried out as part of the Department’s continuous Service Delivery Modernisation (SDM) programme.

As this programme progresses, all the Department’s client and claim related systems will be integrated on the Business Object Model implementation (BOMi) platform, ensuring that all client and claim information is fully and automatically available across all of the Department’s schemes and places of business.

A high level group established between the Department and the Revenue Commissioners coordinates issues of mutual concern, including information sharing, between the two organisations. Further information sharing initiatives are put in place as new requirements are identified and specified.

The Department also works closely with other agencies to mitigate social welfare abuse and to help them in dealing with their own clients (for example, the Department provides validated information to over 50 other agencies in relation to life events and deaths).

A key priority for my Department is to ensure that fraudulent activity within the social welfare system is vigorously prevented and combated. Social Welfare fraud undermines public confidence in the entire system as well as being unfair to other recipients of Social Welfare payments and taxpayers. My Department is very conscious of its obligation to protect public money and is determined to ensure that abuse of the system is prevented and is dealt with effectively when detected. The Department is satisfied that data matching is an effective control tool in this regard with control savings directly attributable to data matching in 2011 of over €17m.

The Department undertakes a number of existing data matches with other Government Departments & Agencies on a systematic basis, including the following:
§ Revenue Commissioners
§ Irish Prison Service
§ Third Level Institutions
§ General Register Office (GRO)
§ Commission on Taxi Regulation
§ Department of Work & Pensions (UK State Pensions Match)
§ Probate Office
It has also entered into agreements with a number of other public bodies to provide identity information in a Single Customer View facility operated by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform under the Public Service Reform programme.

I am satisfied that the Department systems communicate with each other and other bodies to share relevant information and this process will continue to be refined and expanded to meet control and other needs.

ENDS-

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