§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the number of prosecutions and convictions for social security frauds in Scotland in each of the past ten years, giving the sums of money and the number of people involved; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe number of people prosecuted at the instigation of the Department and convicted for social176W security frauds in Scotland are detailed in the table. Information relating to the sums of money involved is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Statistics prior to 1984–85 are not available.
Total Benefit fraud Instrument of payment fraud Prosecutions 1984–85 463 306 157 1985–86 541 327 214 1985–87 791 578 213 1987–88 769 430 339 1988–89 986 566 420 Convictions 1984–85 444 301 143 1985–86 529 320 209 1986–87 777 569 208 1987–88 754 424 330 1988–89 950 550 400
§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money he estimates has been lost in each year since 1979 as a result of fraudulent social security claims and how many persons have been successfully prosecuted in(a) England and Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) Strathclyde and (d) Greenock and Port Glasgow.
§ Mr. Peter Lloyd[pursuant to his reply, 10 February 1989, columns 857–58]: I regret an inaccuracy has been discovered and the corrected information is as follows:
The numbers of successful prosecutions instigated by the Department in respect of fraudulent social security claims is as follows: Great Britain1 Scotland2 Strathclyde2 Greenock and Port Glasgow2 1979–80 16,236 — — — 1980–81 18,369 — — — 1981–82 13,856 — — — 1982–83 11,312 — — — 1983–84 5,987 — — — 1984–85 6,550 301 — — 1985–86 6,586 320 176 3 1986–87 6,203 569 147 9 1987–88 6,931 424 181 3 1 Includes both fraudulent benefit claims and fraudulent instrument of payment encashment. Separation of figures not available. 2 Relates only to fraudulent benefit claims. Earlier information is not available.