§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate, for each local authority, the total amount saved in benefit expenditure in the most recent year arising from anti-fraud initiatives; if he will express this figure as a percentage of the total expenditure on social security benefits administered by each local authority; and if he will provide an aggregate estimate for Great Britain. [125309]
§ Mr. RookerThe most effective way of combating benefit fraud is to stop it happening in the first place. That is why, for example, we are taking steps to improve the way local authorities deal with new claims for Housing Benefit (the "Verification Framework") which has been allowed to occur and which is to reduce the scope for fraud and error at the outset. It is therefore not possible to quantify the total amount saved by all the anti-fraud initiatives we are taking to drive fraud out of the system.
The weekly benefit savings scheme provides a measure of that part of Social Security benefit fraud (including Housing Benefit, Council Tax benefit and Income Support) based on what local authorities have 409W subsequently detected. A weekly benefit saving is the amount of benefit fraudulently in payment multiplied by 32, the average time in weeks that benefit would have been likely to continue in payment if the fraud had gone undetected. A table providing the information requested expressed in terms of weekly benefit savings has been placed in the Library. The data in the table are for 1998–99, the latest year for which comprehensive information is available.
We have recently announced changes to the weekly benefit savings scheme. The changes mean that authorities which uncover more fraud and prosecute fraudsters can expect to receive greater financial reward than before. We will also give additional reward to those authorities which operate the Verification Framework.