§ Mr. Duncan SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many arrests have been made in January by Benefits Agency Security Investigation Service Southern Command; [74345]
(2) what is the current budget for Benefits Agency Security Investigation Service; and of this, what proportion is allocated to the (a) Northern and (b) Southern Commands; [74347]
(3) how many arrests made by BASIS Southern Command have led to (a) prosecutions and (b) successful convictions since its establishment. [74346]
§ Mr. Timms[pursuant to his reply, 3 March 1999, c. 886–87]: Questions on Benefits Agency operational matters are the responsibility of the Chief Executive, Peter Mathison, and I have asked him to send a further letter to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Iain Duncan Smith, dated 25 March 1999:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking how many arrests have been made in January by BASIS Southern Command; what is the budget for BASIS; and of this, what proportion is allocated to Northern and Southern Commands respectively; how many arrests made by BASIS Southern Command have led to a) prosecutions and b) successful convictions since its establishment.During January 1999 the BASIS Southern Command made twenty-five arrests.The budget for BASIS is managed centrally and not split into two commands. It covers not only the Investigation Staff but also Support Staff and Goods and Services. The budget for this financial year is £8.2m of which £6.34m has been spent to date.BASIS was formed in April 1998. Since that date the police have made 375 arrests based on information supplied by BASIS Southern Command. One hundred and forty-eight of these have been submitted for prosecution of which ninety-four have to date been successful.I hope that this is helpful.