§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff are employed by Jobcentre Plus on anti-fraud work; and how many people were employed in total on this work in the two predecessor departments. [74846]
§ Malcolm WicksThe overall aim of the Department's anti-fraud strategy is to have a benefit system, which is secure from first claim to final payment. The implementation of this strategy means that an anti-fraud focus is integral to the work of all staff in the Department, as is dealing with the wider agenda of error and incorrectness in benefit payments.
When the Department for Work and Pensions was established, the Employment Service, which was an Agency of the former Department for Education and Employment, did not have any staff dealing specifically with benefit fraud.
675W The information currently available suggests that, over recent years, around 5.000 staff have been employed by the Department and its agencies in work to investigate suspicions of fraud. However, taking account of changes in data collection measures over time and the integration of investigators more fully with frontline staff, it is clear to me we need to improve the validity of and reliability of year on year comparisons, and I have asked the Department to undertake further work on this. I have concluded that it is not possible to make valid comparisons between figures year-on-year.
I have therefore asked the Department to undertake a review to improve the consistency of centrally collected information for the future.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the rate of staff turnover in each of the last three years in(a) benefit fraud inspection work and (b) his Department as a whole. [74847]
§ Malcolm WicksThe overall aim of the Department's anti-fraud strategy is to have a benefit system which is secure from first claim to final payment. The implementation of this strategy means that an antifraud focus is integral to the work of all staff in the Department, as is dealing with the wider agenda of error and incorrectness in benefit payments.
The information currently available suggests that, throughout the period, around 5,000 staff have been employed by the Department and its agencies in work to investigate suspicions of fraud. However, on examination, it is clear that data on the number of staff is not consistent as data collection measures have changed over time and as the deployment of investigators has become more fully integrated with front line staff. I have concluded that it is not possible to make valid compariaons between the figures year-on year.
I have therefore asked the Department to undertake a review to improve the consistency of centrally collected information for the future.
The following table provides information available on the total numbers of permanent staff and numbers of leavers in the last three years, for the areas that now come under the Department for Work and Pensions.
Year(1 April to 31 March) Permanent Staff Leavers 1999–2000 118,926 Insufficient date held 2000–2001 126,942 9,642 2001–2002 134.247 5,692