§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Social Services on how many occasions officers from the Kings Lynn office of his Department have combined with the police to stop vehicles and extract voluntary statements from the occupants in the course of the last three months; and if he will give equivalent figures for the areas administered by Cambridge and Peterborough offices.
§ Mrs. ChalkerOfficers of the Department have no authority to stop vehicles, either alone or in conjunction with the police. The hon. Member is doubtless referring to two recent exercises in the Kings Lynn area when a team of officers of the Department sought the aid of the police to enable it to make inquiries of the occupants of a number of vehicles, because the officers had reason to suppose that some of the occupants might be drawing social security benefit wrongly or avoiding liability for national insurance contributions. Sixteen vehicles were involved. There have been no recent exercises in the areas covered by the Cambridge and Peterborough offices.
§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many citizens in England and Wales have been asked to make a voluntary statement by officers of his Department working in conjunction with local police in the course of the last three months; and in respect of how many of these incidents further action has been taken.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThis information is not available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.