§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give at the latest and most convenient stated date the actual and estimated number of stolen or missing social security and supplementary order and benefit books and, on the basis of these being illegally used by the finder or stealer, what is the actual or estimated potential value of these books and order forms.
§ Mr. Newton:The total net losses of social security order books in the year 1981 was 115,417. This is against a background of approximately 57 million books issued and, therefore, represents a net loss of around 0.2 per cent. Information about the actual or potential value of lost books is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.