§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the cost of benefit fraud in Wales has been in each year since 1997; [50633]
(2) what the cost of benefit fraud has been in each year since 1997 in (a) Lancashire and (b) the North West. [50639]
§ Malcolm WicksOur most recent estimate is that £2 billion is lost annually through benefit fraud in Great Britain. This estimate cannot be broken down by country or region.
We have set firm targets for reducing the amount of fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance and we have already achieved a reduction of 18 per cent., nearly double our first milestone, a year ahead of schedule.