§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate her Department has made of the levels of benefit fraud for each benefit, excluding housing benefit, for each year since 1979. [38997]
§ Mr. DenhamThe information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
Percentage of cases examined where fraud confirmed or strongly suspected Estimated annual expenditure loss due to fraud (£> Year of benefit review Income Support (First Review) 9.7 1,409 1994–95 Unemployment Benefit 7.8 86 1994–95 Retirement Pension up to 0.13 up to 40 1995–96 Invalid Care Allowance 6.5 37 1995–96 Disability Living Allowance 12.2 499 1995–96 Income Support (Second Review) 11.1 1,773 1996–97
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the advertisements taken out(a) on poster sites, (b) in newspapers, (c) on radio and (d) on television to publicise the National Benefit Fraud Hotline since 1 May 1997. [39194]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Department currently operates two national fraud hotlines—the National Benefit Fraud Hotline which has continued to run since May 1997, and the Business Anti-Fraud Hotline which was launched in January 1998.
National Benefit Fraud Hotline
An exercise to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising and publicity for the National Benefit Fraud Hotline is currently underway. As part of this exercise, poster sites are being used in Sheffield; Leeds; Carlisle; and Crewe. Local newspaper advertising and/or inserts are being used in Sheffield; Leeds; Wigan and Bolton; Central Lancashire; West Wales; Wrexham; and the North Wales coast. Local radio advertising is being used in Sheffield; Leeds; Hull; Bedford; and Stevenage. No television advertising has been commissioned.Business Anti-Fraud Hotline
The Business Anti-Fraud Hotline was launched primarily to help address National Insurance evasion. As part of the launch, 59 quarter page advertisements were placed in the national and regional press, and 37 advertisements were placed in the business and trade press of those industries deemed to be at high risk of National Insurance contributions fraud. No advertisements were taken out on poster sites, on radio or on television.