§ Ms. Glenda JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were successfully prosecuted for social security fraud in the London borough of Camden between January and December 1991.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe investigation of social security benefit fraud is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He wrote to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
§ Ms. Glenda JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what definitions he intends to use and what guidelines he intends to produce to enable his Department's staff to distinguish between a scrounger and a genuine social security claimant.
§ Mr. BurtParliament has laid down the conditions of entitlement to benefit. Decisions on entitlement to benefit are taken by independent adjudication officers. It is for the chief adjudication officer, rather than the Secretary of State, to advise how they should interpret the legislation.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the totals of money recovered as a result of social security fraud investigations in the past 10 years; and what sums were recovered in each of the past 10 years expressed as a percentage of the numbers of staff employed to detect fraud.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe information requested is not held. However, the Benefits Agency fraud investigations in 1991–92 employed 2,853 staff at a cost of £62.7 million and detected fraud to the estimated value of £416 million.