§ 58. Mr. Richard Pageasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many prosecutions for fraud have been brought by his Department in the last four years.
§ Mr. OrmeThe number of prosecutions for social security fraud by my Department, including those undertaken376W on behalf of the Department of Employment, were as follows:
1974 10,221 1975 11,404 1976 13,113 1977–8 18,842 As from February 1977 the figures given above relate to a period from February to February which is the Department's statistical year.
These figures exclude social security frauds prosecuted by the police or Post Office in 1977–78; these amounted to 7,216.