§ Mr. Soleyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people received sentences of immediate imprisonment for (a) fraud from Her Majesty's Inspector of Taxes and (b) fraud from the Department of Health and Social Security for every year since 1979.
§ Mr. MooreI have been asked to reply.
(a) The number of people who received immediate prison sentences for Inland Revenue fraud was as follows:
Criminal prosecutions are undertaken in only a small number of cases because the Inland Revenue deals mainly with tax offences by imposing money penalties graded according to the gravity of the offence rather than by prosecution. These penalties amounted to £371.4 million in the year to 31 March 1984.
Year ending 31 March Number 1979–80 30 1980–81 27 1981–82 21 1982–83 27 1983–84 32 1984–85 41 (b) The number of people who received immediate prison sentences for social security benefit fraud was as follows:
Year ending 31 March Number 1979–80 585 1980–81 868 1981–82 580 1982–83 601 1983–84 580 1984–85 433