HC Deb 21 May 1981 vol 5 cc165-7W
Mr. Field

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide for each year since 1977–78 figures showing (a) public authority expenditure on social security payments, (b) the total amount of irrecoverable overpayments, (c) the amount of known overpayment through fraud, (d) the number of prosecutions by his Department for suspected fraud, (e) the number of successful prosecutions, (f) (e) as a percentage of (d), (g) the number of his Department's special investigators in post for each year, (h) the estimated gross savings as a result of special investigation work, (i) the estimated cost of the special investigators and (j) the costs (i) as a percentage of the gross savings (h).

Mr. Rossi

The information is as follows:

1978–79 1979–80 1980–81
(a) Public authority expenditure on social security payments £ million 15,286.7 £ million 18,043.2 Not available*
(b) Total amount of irrecoverable overpayments £ million 19.5 £ million 21.3 Not available*
(c) The amount of known overpayment through fraud Not available†
(d) The number of prosecutions for suspected fraud‡ 21,885 20,002 23,767
(e) Number of successful prosecutions‡ 21,431 19,548 23,236
(f) (e) as a percentage of (d) 98 per cent. 98 per cent. 98 per cent.
(g) Number of DHSS special investigators in post║ 408 434 451
(h) The estimated gross savings made as a special investigation work¶ £ million 19 £ million 23 £ million 40
(i) The estimated cost of special investigators** £ million 2.7 £ million 3.5 £ million 4.8
(j) (i) as a percentage of (h) 14 per cent. 15 per cent. 12 per cent.
* (a) and (b) refer to financial years. The other items are years ending February. Prosecution figures for 1979–80 and 1980–81 are for calendar years 1979 and 1980.
† The amounts involved in fraud cases are not recorded. The full amount obtained by fraud in some individual cases may not be known.
‡ Figures include DHSS and DE prosecutions, but exclude prosecutions by the police and Post Office.
║ At a date in February of the first year named.
¶ The amounts shown are based on best estimates of how long benefit would have continued if the fraud were not discovered. Better data is now

becoming available—see answer given 6 May [Vol. 4, c. 79–80.]

** Estimate based on the cost of salaries, national insurance contributions and travel and subsistence.