§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will relate the £1.4 billion a year cost of social security fraud he announced in July to the annual total of £558 million published by his Department in January 1994; and if he will make a statement. [39076]
§ Mr. HealdThe figure of £1.4 billion refers to the estimated annual loss to income support from fraud, indicated by the results of a survey into the extent of benefit fraud and error on income support and unemployment benefit undertaken in late 1994. These results were announced in July 1995. The figure of £558 million is the amount of fraud detected and stopped in 1992–93. The amount of fraud detected and stopped has risen to £717.6 million in 1994–95.