§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons were discovered by officers of his Department in 1969 to be abusing the social security system by claiming benefits or allowances to which they were not entitled; and what general action was taken.
§ Mr. DeanIn 1969 the number of claims to benefits or allowances which were held to have been made with fraudulent intent was about 32,000. Action ranged from warning in trivial cases to prosecution in the more serious.
§ Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons are employed by his Department to investigate abuses of the social services.
§ Mr. DeanIt is not possible to supply an exact figure. The investigation of abuse is only one part of the duties of a number of the Department's staff. There are currently 232 special investigators employed solely on inquiries into cases of suspected supplementary benefit fraud.