HC Deb 08 June 1998 vol 313 c480W
Mr. Hanson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will make a statement on the level of fraud in housing benefit. [42941]

Mr. Field

We have made it clear in our Green Paper that rooting out fraud is an essential part of welfare reform. We are undertaking a fundamental review of the Department's counter-fraud strategies to ensure a coherent, well-prioritised programme to reduce overall fraud levels through earlier prevention, more effective deterrence and better detection.