§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many cases during the last 12 months his Department has claimed back money from deceased persons' estates because of overpayment through mistake or fraud; and how much this sum was.
§ Mr. OrmeInformation is not available in the form requested by the hon. Member, partly because recovery action sometimes takes more than a year to complete. In the period 1st January to 31st December 1977 recovery was completed in 3,158 cases for sums totalling £1,297,030 from deceased person's estates because of overpayment through mistake or fraud in respect of supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, how much money was recovered from deceased person's estates, because of overpayment by his Department through fraud or mistake, by London North Region in the period October to December, inclusive, 1977.
§ Mr. OrmeInformation is not kept in precisely the form requested by the hon. Member. The amount recovered in London North Region from deceased person's estates, because of overpayment through fraud or mistake in respect of supplementary benefit, in cases finalised in the period 1st October to 31st December 1977 was £32,872.