BETWEEN January 1st and August 31st last the courts finalised 44 social welfare prosecutions. These led to 23 fines, three community service orders, eight suspended sentences, five Probation Act decisions, one bound to the peace, one imprisoned and three were struck out. There were also 81 social insurance and social assistance cases under consideration, the Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa, said in a written reply to the Fianna Fail spokesman, Mr Joe Walsh.