§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answers of 25 February 1999,Official Report, columns 434–35, and 25 March 1999, Official Report, column 388, on the payment card trial, what factors underlie the discrepancy between the figure of £17 million for estimated total savings and the figure of £68,000 for savings already received. [79657]
§ Angela EagleThe figure of £68,000 given in my Written Answer on 25 February represented fraud savings attributable to the Payment Card up to December 1998.
154Wthe establishment of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate, giving the dates (a) that they were commissioned, (b) the inspections started, (c) they were completed and (d) he received the completed reports. [80389]
§ Mr. TimmsThe information is in the table.
The figure of £17 million given on 25 March is an estimate, based on the latest agreed plans, of total fraud savings from the Payment Card during the pilot period, including savings from the trial of multiple benefit card payment.