§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state the total number of convictions annually since 1968 under Section 93(1)(c)(i) and (ii) of the National Insurance Act, 1965 and under the Ministry of Social Security Act, 1966 in regard to fraudulent claims for welfare benefits.
§ Mr. DeanInformation is not available in precisely the form asked for. In England and Wales almost all prosecutions arising from cases investigated by the Department are taken under Section 93(1)(c)(i) and (ii) of the National Insurance Act, 1965 and Section 29 of the Ministry of Social Security Act, 1966. A few serious cases of which no separate record is kept are taken under the theft laws.
In Scotland all cases investigated by the Department are taken by the Procurator Fiscal who may proceed either under the appropriate benefit legislation or the ordinary law of theft. No separate record in Scottish cases is kept of the cases dealt with under the ordinary law of theft. Thus, the following figures of convictions arise almost entirely from prosecutions under benefit legislation, but include a small but unknown number of cases taken under the theft laws:
431W
§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state the number of convictions under the ordinary law of theft during 1970 and 1971 which related to fraudulent claims for welfare benefit.
§ Mr. DeanInformation is not available in precisely the form asked for. Certain types of offence are investigated by the police. They consist mainly of itinerant fraud (claims for supplementary benefit made in different offices and containing false statements of circumstances and of the date and place of the last payment) and of cases involving the wrongful use of instruments of payment.
In England and Wales the police prosecute as well as investigate and will proceed under the ordinary law of theft. In Scotland proceedings are taken by the Procurator Fiscal who may proceed either under the appropriate benefit legislation or the ordinary law of theft. No separate record is kept of the Scottish cases taken under benefit legislation. Thus the following figures of convictions arise almost entirely from prosecutions under the ordinary law of theft, but include a small but unknown number of cases taken under benefit legislation.
1970 1971 Benefit fraud 699 662 Instrument of payment 1,299 1,539 Total 1,998 2,201 In about one-third of convictions concerning instruments of payment the per-
Deaf with speech Deaf without speech Hard of hearing Blind Partially sighted General classes of handicap Girls under 16 … 582 626 543 897 970 4,057 Boys under 16 … 680 811 611 1,151 1,690 4,839 Women … … 4,408 5,685 9,499 58,204 21,563 175,028 Men … … 3,751 6,622 5,101 36,168 11,475 120,264 Training courses in social work recognised by the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work include reference to the special needs of the handicapped. Specialised courses in social work with the blind and the deaf are also recognised by the Central Council. The Training Council for Teachers of the Mentally Handicapped recognises courses for staff working in day centres.
432Wson claiming benefit was himself the offender, that is he altered the instrument of payment or falsely purported to have lost it.