HC Deb 10 November 1999 vol 337 c558W
Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what number and percentage of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants have been proved to be claiming fraudulently in each of the last five years; and what savings have been made in each of these years as a result of benefit withdrawal in such cases. [97881]

Angela Eagle

The information is in the table.

Number of Jobseeker's Allowance fraud cases and savings made following benefit withdrawal
Total number of fraud cases detected Percentage of average case load over the period Savings
October 1996-March 1997 15,626 0.8 33,885,344
1997–98 161,512 10.4 556,097,856
1998–99 191,829 14.2 1,054,260,736

Notes:

  1. 1. JSA was introduced in October 1996.
  2. 2. The savings column figures are the weekly benefit paid to the fraudulent claimants multiplied by 32, the estimated average length of time a claim to benefit would have lasted had the fraud not been detected.