§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what fraud prevention targets he set for housing benefit administrations in 1995–96 and 1996–97; which administrations met those targets and which did not; and how much subsidy was withheld. [4922]
§ Mr. HealdEach local authority is set a threshold of weekly benefit savings—WBS—to be made through detection of housing and council tax benefit fraud. WBS766W is a measure of the amount of benefit which would have been paid incorrectly had the fraud not been stopped. Local authorities can earn additional subsidy through good performance in relation to their WBS thresholds, and can have subsidy withheld for poor performance.
Tables showing details of the 1995–96 and 1996–97 figures have been placed in the Library.