Measures taken by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs to recover money owed by deceased pensioners may be unfair to their families, the Public Accounts Committee heard yesterday.
The committee was examining the 1996 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General which shows that the Department collected £3.3 million from the estates of deceased pensioners in that year.
The Department's secretary general, Mr Eddie Sullivan, told the committee that solicitors were obliged to inform the Department of the estates of deceased pensioners. In some cases this showed that assets were hidden from the Department when the person originally applied for a pension.
But the Galway West TD, Mr Padraic McCormack (FG), said it was unfair to target the estates of pensioners whose assets had increased solely because they had not spent their pensions.
Mr Sullivan said he would address the issue when the committee reconvenes.
