HC Deb 25 November 1987 vol 123 cc205-6W
Dr. David Clark

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in theOfficial Report details of the individual cases of fraud relating to the common agricultural policy in the United Kingdom amounting to £350,000 in 1985 which were reported to the European Commission.

Mr. MacGregor

The United Kingdom notified 68 cases of CAP irregularities in 1986,most of which occurred in 1985 or earlier years, totalling some £500,000. Nearly all were failures to meet conditions of schemes, and fraud was not suspected.

There were only two significant cases where fraud might have been intended. One was a misdescription of meat for export for which £268,000 of export refunds were claimed. However, this was detected and no payment was made. The second was a fraudulent claim for monetary compensatory amounts on cattle. The £68,000 paid has been recovered.