§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many officers are employed in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) England and Wales by his Department in investigating fraud; and what are the corresponding figures for each year since 1979.
§ Mr. PortilloI am able to provide information only in respect of Great Britain. The information relating to Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Precise figures for staff investigating fraud are not available but it is possible to calculate the amount of staff time expended in the Department on fraud-related work. On that basis the equivalent full-time staff employed on fraud work have been as follows:
England and Wales Great Britain 1979–80 2,026 2,311 1980–81 2,092 2,336 1981–82 2,086 2,346 1982–83 1,933 2,185 1983–84 1,975 2,211 1984–85 1,946 2,204 1985–86 2,029 2,285 1986–87 2,152 2,390 1987–88 2,314 2,607
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the ratio of the current cost of his Department's investigation into fraud to the benefits recouped; and what are the figures for each year since 1979.
§ Mr. PortilloInformation on which to base a reliable estimate is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.