§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the value784W of benefit fraud; and how much fraudulently obtained benefit has been repaid following detection in each year since 1997. [7470]
§ Malcolm WicksOur most recent estimate is that £2 billion is lost annually through benefit fraud. It is not possible to separate the total amount of overpaid benefit recovered into overpayments due to fraud and those due to other reasons.