§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will describe facilities provided to him by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre in Swansea, to enable his fraud officers to trace vehicle numbers of claimants; whether he has any figures for the number of such inquiries made by any of his fraud officers; and what controls he has established to ensure that such information is used only for legitimate purposes.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe Department's fraud officers in the investigation of suspected benefit fraud use the same facility afforded to local authorities to make inquiries at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre in Swansea on a non-fee-paying basis. In 1987–88 about 30,000 inquiries were made. All investigations undertaken by fraud officers are subject to managerial control and checks and all inquiries are channelled through a single office. Departmental officers are subject to the normal rules of confidentiality.