Fraudulent Claims (Unemployment Benefit)

HC Deb 06 August 1976 vol 916 c1133W

Mr. Sproat

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons in his Department at local level are engaged full-time in attempting to detect fraudulent claimants of unemployment benefit.

Mr. Grant

At the end of June 1976 there were the equivalent of 304 staff employed at local level on the detection and investigation of claims to unemployment benefit which were suspected of being fraudulent. Of these 130 were full-time staff who, in most cases, gave the benefit of their special experience and expertise to several unemployment benefit offices. The remaining 174 staff units were made up of part-time posts. All of the staff of the Benefit Service watch for suspicious circumstances which would warrant investigation by the specialist staff.