Social welfare inspectors will begin manning traffic check points from next week as part of a State-wide clampdown on fraud.
The decision follows the success of a pilot operation earlier this year when 19 checkpoints identified 118 fraudsters and produced £360,000 in social welfare payments.
Almost one in every 10 cars stopped at some checkpoints resulted in fraud detection. The majority of the fraud cases involved people who were working while also claiming unemployment payments.
However, inspectors also found a few cases of people working in the Republic of Ireland while claiming unemployment payments in Northern Ireland. Details were passed on to the authorities in Northern Ireland.
There were also a number of cases of people working who had been claiming sick benefit or invalidity pensions.
As part of the plan, social welfare inspectors will accompany gardai, who will operate the checkpoints. Articulated lorries, vans and other commercial vehicles will be targeted, although a number of cars will also be stopped, according to a Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs spokeswoman.
As well as trying to track down workers who are fraudulently claiming social welfare payments, the inspectors will also be investigating employers of suspect workers to ensure they do not have any undeclared employees.
The Social Welfare Bill has provided inspectors with the legal power to be present at checkpoints, although they do not have the authority to stop traffic.
The checkpoints also will be used by gardai to ensure the roadworthiness of vehicles, while Customs and Excise staff will also be present to check for smuggling and illegal fuel.
Although the multi-agency checkpoints will be operated across the State, they will focus on areas where there were high success rates in the pilot scheme.
It found checkpoints in the north-east and Border areas had the highest level of fraud detection, with 9.3 per cent of vehicles stopped at Lissenhall resulting in fraud detection. This compared to just a 3 per cent detection rate at Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow. Checkpoints were operated in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Monaghan, Cavan, Louth and Meath.
Socialist Party deputy Mr Joe Higgins said he vehemently opposed the checkpoints, which he believed "demonised" the unemployed. He feared they would be concentrated in areas of high unemployment and would focus on people who looked like they might be workers, or vehicles driven by these people.
While he did not condone fraud, Mr Higgins believed social welfare inspectors already had huge powers.
Coming on the opening day of the DIRT inquiry by a sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee, he said a golden circle was responsible for the real fraud within the State, but the same draconian measures had not been introduced to tackle them.
However, the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, said his job was to seek out fraud and stop it. "For every pound saved, it is a pound of taxpayers' money saved," he said. His Department's anti-fraud efforts saved the Exchequer £177 million last year.