§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1), for the most recent three-month period for which figures are available, if he will publish figures to show how many Giro cheques were issued to pay supplementary benefits, and national insurance payments, respectively, nationally and in Stockport; and how many in each case were reported lost, stolen or not received;
(2) for the most recent three-month period for which figures are available, how many Giro cheques were issued in Stockport for supplementary benefit and national insurance payments which were reported as not being received by the person to whom they were issued; how many of these subsequently reappeared; how many were cashed illegally; how many prosecutions for fraud relate to illegally cashed cheques; and in how many cases new cheques were issued.
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§ Mr. DeakinsThe information concerning Giro cheques issued in Stockport is not available centrally and could be assembled and presented only with a disproportionate amount of work and cost.
Information relating to Giro cheques issued nationally during the last three months of 1976 for the whole range of social security benefits is as follows:
Issues Reports of losses* Department of Health and Social Security: National Insurance benefits 10,300,0001 23,000 Supplementary benefits 2,900,000 Department of Employment: All benefits† 15,600,000 11,000 * Information in respect of the breakdown of losses of Giro cheques issued by Department of Health and Social Security is not available. † Issues made by Department of Employment may include payments for unemployment benefit, supplementary benefit or a combination of both benefits; separate information is not available.