HC Deb 22 May 1979 vol 967 cc112-3W
Mr. Field

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list for each year since 1974 the number of families with children and the number of persons in these families living below, on and up to 110 per cent., 120 per cent. and 140 per cent. of the supplementary benefit level according to the standard employment status groupings;

(2) how many children in each year since 1974 were living in families (a) below, (b) on, (c) up to 110 per cent., (d) 120 per cent. and (e) 140 per cent. of the supplementary benefit level; and in each case how many of these families had a head (i) in full-time work or self-employed and (ii) unemployed;

(3) if he will list in the Official Report the number of persons and families living (a) below, (b) on, (c) up to 110 per cent., (d) 120 per cent, and (e) 140 per cent. of the supplementary benefit level for each year since 1974 according to the standard family and employment status groupings.

Mrs. Chalker

Information in some detail for the years 1974 to 1976 has already been made public, but my Department is still working on 1977 figures. I will publish all the available information for these four years in theOfficial Report as soon as this work has been completed. Figures for 1978 will not be available until next year.

Mr. Charles Irving

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he can provide the following information for each of the supplementary benefits offices at Cheltenham, Rivershill House, Thames North, Scarborough Street, E1, and Thames South, Marshalsea Road, SE1, respectively: (a) the number of full-time officers employed at these offices to investigate possible fraudulent social security claims during the last year for which figures are available, (b) the total number of social security fraud cases at these offices for which convictions were obtained in that year, (c) the total amount of social security benefits involved in those cases of fraud for which convictions were obtained in that year, (d) the total

Supplementary benefit
Year ended 20 February 1979 Cheltenham Thames North Thames South
(a) Number of full-time officers employed to investigate possible fraudulent claims … 5 2 3
(b) Number of fraud cases prosecuted* … 109 95 170
(c) Amount of supplementary benefit involved in the cases at (b). Figures not available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
(d) Number of claims for supplementary benefit 12,564 41,681 18,937
(e) Total amount paid out in supplementary benefit. Figures not available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
* Convictions are not recorded by Local Offices but the national figures show that 97 per cent. of cases prosecuted result in convictions.

The figures for the Thames North and Thames South offices are not comparable with those for Cheltenham because:

  1. (i) Cheltenham deals with all types of claimants but the Thames offices deal exclusively with claimants who have no fixed address or who live in a common lodging house.
  2. (ii) The majority of claims at the Thames offices are of short duration although there may be numerous repeat claims.
  3. (iii) The majority of the Thames offices' cases are prosecuted by the police, whereas most of the Cheltenham cases are prosecuted by the Department, which necessitates greater use of its staff resources on fraud work.