§ Mr. Hudson Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many and what type of cases were investigated by special social security investigations in Wales during the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available and during the two previous 12 month periods.
§ Mr. PrenticeThe numbers of fraud cases investigated in Wales in the last three years by local office fraud specialists and regional office special investigators of the Department of Health and Social Security and the Department of Employment were:
Year Ended February 1978 3117 February 1979 4383 February 1980 4938 In addition, after initial inquiries by the Department's officers, 1,589, 1,036 and 1,097 cases respectively—mostly instrument of payment irregularities—were referred to the police and Post Office for investigation.
These figures are not analysed by type of investigator—for example local or regional—or by type of offence and this could be done only by disproportionate effort. However, the following is a breakdown of the types of cases considered for prosecution by the two Departments in the year ended February 1980: