A number of anti-poverty campaigners last year questioned the plan by Lyons, describing it as a “distraction from the real issues”.
Some 57 people in Northern Ireland were convicted of benefit fraud since April last year, according to DfC figures.
More than 9,000 reports from members of the public of alleged benefit fraud were recorded between April and December last year.
That compares to just over 6,300 reports in the previous 12 months.
The figures on benefit fraud complaints were obtained by BBC News NI through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
Benefit fraud in Northern Ireland was estimated to cost £233m in 2024 – about 2.5% of benefit expenditure.
The figures were an increase on previous year, when benefit fraud was estimated to be worth £163m.
Errors in the system cost £42.5m in 2024, while customer mistakes amounted to almost £75m.
date: 2026-02-09 21:11:00
Related reading