19. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in order to check abuses of supplementary benefits, he will now appoint an investigating officer to examine possible cases of fraud in each of the 400 offices where supplementary benefits are paid out.
45. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services 630 how many of the supplementary benefit offices have special investigating officers attached.
§ Mr. EnnalsArrangements to check abuse, including inquiries into suspected fraud, are an important part of the normal work of every local office. Cases of special difficulty are referred to investigators who work under the control of the regional offices. There would be no justification for a special investigator in every local office, but the numbers of these investigators have been substantially increased.
Mr. Gresham CookeIn view of the growing evidence of fraudulent claims produced to hon. Members and the Press, is this not a sign of a mounting public scandal for which the Government are responsible? Should there not now be provided an investigating officer, with experience, attached to every one of these 400 offices?
§ Mr. EnnalsI do not think it is true that there is growing evidence. It is certainly true that certain organs of the Press have taken up this subject and picked upon particular cases that may have given a very wrong impression. The hon. Gentleman refers to the Press ; he released a letter to the Press which he had received a short time ago. From what I read in the Press I would not have known that the man concerned was disabled, which may very much change the circumstances. The Government are very vigilant in these matters and take increasing care to see that those who seek to exploit our State provisions are brought to book.
§ Mr. MaclennanCan my hon. Friend say whether the instructions given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Lanarkshire, North (Miss Herbison), when she was Minister, to the Supplementary Benefits Commission in, I think, July, 1968, still operate, because they represented a considerable stiffening of the investigation procedure?
§ Mr. EnnalsI am grateful to my hon. Friend. This was a very important step forward introduced by my right hon. Friend. It took effect from last October when single men aged 45 and under in areas where there was employment were told that they could have benefit for up to four weeks but that they were then 631 expected to find work. It is interesting that since October there has been a total of 80,000 young people who have been put on this basis with outstanding success. This is one of a number of ways in which my Department is dealing with this question.
§ Mr. DeanWould the hon. Gentleman agree that in so far as there is abuse it does damage the social services and could well mean that innocent people suffer in that they do not get the benefit required? Can he say how many special investigators there are so that the public can be reassured that wherever there is a case of abuse it is dealt with promptly?
§ Mr. EnnalsI have to point out that the special investigators are not the only people dealing with allegations of fraud. They are for very special cases requiring special examination. There is now a complement of 206. There are still a few vacancies. We have not gone up to the full 206. We have to remember that these allegations, particularly when publicly made, reflect discredit upon the system. Therefore, it is most important that we should recognise not only that authority is concerned with this and handling it but that these cases are a very small minority indeed and that the vast proportion of our resources is given to those in genuine need—the old, the sick, the disabled, the deserted family.