HC Deb 15 November 1976 vol 919 cc396-7W
Mr. Brotherton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in the light of the Written Answer to the hon. Member for Louth on 20th October, Official Report, column 483, concerning the strength of his Department's Fraud Inspectorate, what is his estimate of the number of people making fraudulent claims who go undetected because of the shortfall in the inspectorate.

Mr. Orme

The investigation of social security fraud is not confined to the special investigators who deal with the more complex cases, but the shortfall in relation to the complement for these officers will have the effect of delaying some investigations. Urgent steps are being taken to bring the number of special investigators up to full strength.