The government is seeing what it could do to tackle social benefit abuse which last year reached €30 million, Social Policy Minister Michael Farrugia said today.

Addressing a seminar for department employees, he invited people receiving benefits they were not entitled to to come forward and halt the abuse.

The department, he said, estimated that last year it was defrauded around €30 million and this was unfair on taxpayers

While the government did not want to allow abuse, it wanted to ensure that there was a net of services to help those who. Once these people no longer needed assistance, however, other people in need had to be helped.

The minister also spoke about proposed reforms to introduce amendments with which people and families at risk of poverty would be helped.