§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many small-scale frauds have been prosecuted, and how many prosecutions have been successful, since the publication of the Green Paper "Beating Fraud is Everyone's Business" in July; and what the equivalent figures were for each of the previous five years. [65440]
§ Mr. Timms[holding answer 14 January 1999): As yet we have made no provision to break down national prosecution statistics by the amount of overpayment involved. Keeping the value of a fraud is no guarantee that a fraudster will not be prosecuted. The amount involved is only one of the factors considered when deciding whether it is appropriate to prosecute an individual case.
We shall respond shortly to the consultation on the Green Paper.
§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps have been taken to implement plans to improve the security culture of staff with particular reference to relating performance appraisal and performance-related pay to security. [65456]
§ Mr. Timms[holding answer 14 January 1999]: The Department's Agencies are taking forward a number of activities to promote security awareness and to ensure that where appropriate, security features are included in key work objectives and in the performance appraisal system.