§ Mr. Lilleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply of 7 March to the hon. Member for Nuneaton, Official Report, column 322, how he intends to deploy the additional 500 staff for fraud work; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FowlerThese extra staff will strengthen my Department's anti-fraud effort in two important areas. At present we have a complement of nearly 2,500 staff for fraud work—2,300 in local offices and the remainder in regionally based teams. We shall continue to base most of our effort against fraud in local offices, 180 of the extra staff will be put into selected offices specifically to reinforce their efforts to combat benefit fraud by claimants resident in hotels and other board and lodging accommodation, to uncover collusion by landlords, and to bring prosecutions where evidence is available. The other 320 extra staff will be added to the regionally based teams: these teams will be re-grouped into 31 benefit fraud teams, one for each management group of offices. They will help the local office in fully investigating allegations of fraud and bringing prosecutions where justified.