§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much benefit fraud has cost his Department in each of the years since 1979; and how many prosecutions have resulted(a) in the United Kingdom as a whole and (b) in his Department's area covering Nottingham for these purposes.
§ Mr. Peter LloydNo reliable estimate is available of the cost of social security benefit fraud. The numbers of prosecutions undertaken by the Department for fraudulent claims to social security in(a) Great Britain for each year since 1979–80 and (b) the area covered by the Department's four local offices in Nottingham since 1981–82 are as follows. Figures for Northern Ireland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and those for Nottingham prior to 1981–82 are not available.
(a) Great Britain (b) Nottingham 1979–80 16,635 — 1980–81 18,801 — 1981–82 14,206 73 1982–83 11,334 166 1983–84 5,997 127 1984–85 6,702 97 1985–86 6,679 140 1986–87 6,603 132 1987–88 7,231 169