AN ALLEGED fraud of more than £30,000 at a social welfare office in Co Wexford is being investigated by gadai.
The investigation into missing funds is being treated extremely seriously and will take a further two months to complete, according to a Garda source.
A member of staff was suspended from duty following an initial investigation by the Department of Social Welfare.
The matter first came to the Department's attention last July.
It is not clear when the alleged offences began, although the amount of money involved suggested that they may have remained undetected for some time, said the source.
The office is contracted out by the Department of Social Welfare and provides benefits to more than 1,500 people in its catchment area.
Mr Michael Enright, a Democratic Left councillor on Wexford Corporation, said there was a case for closer monitoring of such offices by the Department of Social Welfare and the provision of better facilities for the public.
A Department spokeswoman confirmed that it carried out its own investigation when the allegations first emerged.
An employee was subsequently suspended by the manager of the office following these inquiries, she confirmed.
The matter was then handed over to the Garda.
"We are talking about £30,000 and it seems to have been going on for some time," she said.