§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the savings in fraud and error in(a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) income support if those area directorates with above average levels of fraud and error reduced fraud and error to the current average; and if the achievement of such a reduction by March 2002 would fulfil the relevant departmental public service agreement. [114000]
§ Mr. RookerOverpayments in Jobseeker's Allowance and Income Support would be reduced by £61 million and £75 million a year respectively, if Area Directorates with higher than average levels of overpayment were to reduce them to the present average level. Assuming that expenditure levels remained constant, this would meet our Public Service Agreement target of a 10 per cent. reduction in losses in these benefits.
It is in the nature of an average of a set of values that the set will contain some values above the average. Nevertheless, we are paying close attention to how those areas with higher than average losses are planning to reduce them.