Benefit Fraud (Hansard, 2 November 1989)

§ Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was(a) the number and (b) number per 1,000 claimants of Department of Employment staff employed to investigate benefit fraud by unemployed people claiming benefits in each year from 1978 to the latest available date.

§ Mr. Eggar
This Department's fraud investigation work was reorganised in 1984 and comparable figures for earlier years are not available.
The number of fraud investigators and the number of fraud investigators per 1,000 claimants are as follows:

Number of fraud investigators Number of fraud investigators per 1,000 claimants

1984–85 450 0.15

1985–86 650 0–20

1986–87 720 0.23

305W

Number of fraud investigators Number of fraud investigators per 1,000 claimants

1987–88 785 0.29

1988–89 820 0.39

§ Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the amount of money recovered from successful prosecutions of unemployed claimants, in current and constant prices in each year from 1978 to the latest available date.

§ Mr. Eggar
Actions to recover compensation awards and overpayments are undertaken by the courts and/or local benefit offices. In consequence, the information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

§ Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what was the number and proportion of unemployed claimants successfully prosecuted for benefit fraud who were prosecuted for claiming benefit whilst working in each year from 1978 to the latest available date;
(2) what was the number and proportion of unemployed claimants successfully prosecuted for benefit fraud in each year from 1978 to the latest available date.

§ Mr. Eggar
This Department's fraud investigation work was reorganised in 1984 and comparable figures for earlier years are not available.
The number of legal proceedings instituted by this Department are as follows:

Girocheque fraud Benefit fraud Total

1984–85 253 1,997 2,250

1985–86 639 2,161 2,800

1986–87 1,139 2,511 3,650

1987–88 924 3,036 3,960

1988–89 571 3,474 4,045

This Department does not collect information centrally on the outcome of prosecutions and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

	Number of fraud investigators	Number of fraud investigators per 1,000 claimants
1984–85	450	0.15
1985–86	650	0–20
1986–87	720	0.23

	Number of fraud investigators	Number of fraud investigators per 1,000 claimants
1987–88	785	0.29
1988–89	820	0.39

	Girocheque fraud	Benefit fraud	Total
1984–85	253	1,997	2,250
1985–86	639	2,161	2,800
1986–87	1,139	2,511	3,650
1987–88	924	3,036	3,960
1988–89	571	3,474	4,045