§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the cost of theft and fraud to(a) his Department, 169W (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies, in (i) 1995–96, (ii) 1996–97 and (iii) 1997–98 to date. [27772]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 5 February 1998]: The hon. Member will wish to know that the cost of theft and fraud to the Department and its Agencies was as follows:
Financial year Number of cases Value£ Amount recovered £ 1995–96 28 115,891.00 26,025.00 1996–97 17 29,735.00 2,500.00 Analysis of 1995–96 shows that 22 cases relate to theft or attempted theft of Departmental assets by persons unknown. 6 cases relate to false claims or thefts by the Department's staff. The value of these cases was approximately £12,800 of which £2,000 has been recovered. For 1996–97, only 2 cases involved the Department's staff; the total loss was £585, of which £560 was recovered.
Figures have not yet been collated for 1997–98. The Department's non-departmental public bodies have a duty to report any cases of fraud to the Department, but none have been reported.