§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in the Wolverhampton 434W district and travel-to-work area in the period 1979 to date have been investigated for fraudulent claiming by his Department; how many have had their benefits withdrawn; how many have subsequently been restored on appeal; and if he will break down the figures to show the category of fraud alleged.
§ Mr. RossiArrangements for recording and monitoring the results of the Government's campaign against social security fraud and abuse were introduced in September 1979. These records indicate that, in the period 5 September 1979 to 12 May 1981, for the two local offices serving Wolverhampton and its outlying districts, 1,404 fraud investigations were conducted and 534 claimants had their benefit withdrawn or reduced. Information about the number of these claimants who subsequently had their benefit restored on appeal and the breakdown of cases by category of fraud alleged is not readily available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.