§ Mr. KilfedderTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimate of the amount of money which has been paid out as a result of fraud in the common agricultural policy during the last financial year; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryIt is not possible to estimate the extent of fraud in the common agricultural policy, since, by412W definition, undetected fraud cannot be measured. In 1990, 819 cases of irregularity, the definition of which goes wider than fraud, in EAGGF guarantee expenditure were reported by member states, with a value of 138 mecu—£98 million. These cases represent about 0.5 per cent. of EAGGF guarantee expenditure in that year. However, fraud is clearly a serious problem and must be tackled vigorously.