§ 14. Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on measures to combat fraud in the provision of overseas aid. [95593]
§ Clare ShortMy Department has strong control systems designed to ensure regularity, propriety and value for money in the expenditure of our budget. These systems are reviewed by our internal auditors and they are regularly updated. Our systems are also subject to examination by the National Audit Office (NAO).
There were nine cases of fraud reported in our 1998–99 Annual Fraud Return. There were no reported cases involving the Department for International Development (DFID) staff. In all cases action has been taken to improve systems of control to avoid any recurrence. Legal action is pending for the recovery of DFID funds in three of these cases.