§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the cost to its budget since 1 May 1997 of fraud; and if he will make a statement. [27295]
§ Dr. MoonieThe reported estimated cost to the Department of fraud since 1 April 1997 is £4,666,853.
No abatement is made for subsequent recoveries. The figure relates to a combination of suspected and proven frauds and thefts with estimated values refined from time to time as investigations, sometimes lasting a year or more, reach a conclusion. A significant element of estimated cost or value in any given year relates to initial "at risk" estimates applied to suspected procurement fraud. The majority of these are resolved as "no crime" or have a proven value significantly lower than original estimates.