§ Mr. NorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assessment he has made of the extent of preventable loss arising from theft or misappropriation in his Department;
(2) whether he will list the number of professionally qualified loss-prevention staff employed by his Department and the qualifications held by such staff, excluding qualifications obtained during police or military service.
§ Mr. RifkindThe Scottish Office has developed and maintains controls to prevent fraud and to ensure that if it does occur it will be detected promptly. It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that departmental funds are not misappropriated. The activities of the Scottish Office audit unit include responsibility to satisfy the accounting officer for Scottish Office administration costs that financial management and control systems are adequate. Nine of the audit unit staff hold professional qualifications and a further 15 are qualified to Treasury-approved training standards. No specific assessment of preventable losses has been made.