§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the cost of benefit fraud in each of the last four years. [19007]
§ Malcolm WicksI refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Govan (Mr. Sarwar) on 30 November 2001,Official Report, column 1166W.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the constituency of Buckingham were successfully prosecuted for(a) housing and (b) council tax benefit fraud in each year since 1992. [22534]
§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Epsom and Ewell constituency were successfully prosecuted for housing benefit fraud in each year since 1992. [23432]
§ Malcolm WicksInformation on prosecutions for housing benefit and council tax benefit fraud is not available at constituency level.
§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in South Tyneside were caught involved in benefit fraud in(a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001. [22761]
§ Malcolm WicksFigures for South Tyneside are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the units in his Department or its agencies whose primary function is(a) counter fraud policy work and (b) fraud investigation and detection. [22893]
§ Malcolm WicksWe set out our strategy for tackling fraud and error in the paper—A New Contract for Welfare: Safeguarding Social Security (CM 4276)—published on 23 March 1999. The overall aim of the strategy is to have a benefit system which is secure from first claim to final payment.
The implementation of this strategy means that an anti-fraud focus is integral to the work of the whole Department, as is dealing with the wider agenda of error 686W and incorrectness in benefit payments. However, there are specific units whose primary function is counter-fraud policy work and fraud investigation and detection.
The Fraud Strategy Unit manages the setting and dissemination of fraud policy for the Department's Agencies. In addition the Fraud Head of Profession (through the Professional Standards Unit) sets standards for operational activity and manages guidance and training for investigators in the Department's Agencies.
There are 14 groups of investigators in the Department. Serious and organised fraud is addressed by the Benefits Agency Security Investigation Service. This is the operational arm of the Counter-Fraud Investigation Branch, led by the Head of Profession, which includes other units concerned with intelligence, joint working and professional standards. In addition, each of the 13 Area Directors in the Benefits Agency manages a resource of investigators known collectively as the Benefit Fraud Investigation Service (in Scotland, the Benefits Investigation Service).
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will give the budget for(a) 2000–01 and (b)2001–02 for (i) the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate, (ii) BASIS, (iii) the Fraud Strategy Directorate and (iv) the Professional Standards Unit. [22899]
§ Malcolm WicksWe set out our strategy for tackling fraud and error in the paper—A New Contract for Welfare: Safeguarding Social security (CM 4276) —published on 23 March 1999. The overall aim of the strategy is to have a benefit system which is secure from first claim to final payment.
The implementation of this strategy means that an anti-fraud focus is integral to the work of the whole Department, as is dealing with the wider agenda of error and incorrectness in benefit payments. The remit of the four units specified in the question does not therefore represent the full extent of the Department's counter-fraud strategy.
The information available is in the table.
£ 2000–01 2001–02 Benefit Fraud Inspectorate 5,866,200 6,002,928 BASIS 13,200,778 11,205,000 Fraud Strategy Directorate/Unit 1— 2,463,209 Professional Standards Unit 1— 2,734,000 1Departmental re-organisation means it is not possible to compare directly one year with another nor to accurately break down the costs to allow an equal comparison.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money has been recovered from persons believed to have fraudulantly obtained benefits in each year since 1997; and if he will give a breakdown of funds recovered as a result of(a) Benefits Agency fraud investigations, (b) local authority investigations and (c)other investigations. [23233]
§ Malcolm WicksI refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to him on 14 November 2001,Official Report, column 784W.
687W
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the incidence of fraud in respect of(a) means tested and (b) other benefits in the last five years. [23234]
§ Malcolm WicksOur estimates of levels of fraud and error in income support and jobseeker's allowance are published in the series of reports "Fraud and Error in Claims for Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance" which are placed in the library.
In April this year we also set up the housing benefit review which will deliver an on-going measurement of fraud and error in housing benefit. Fraud in other benefits is examined in our programme of national benefit reviews.
Our most recent estimate is that £2 billion is lost annually through all benefit fraud. It is not possible to disaggregate this estimate in respect of (a) income-related and (b) other benefits.
§ Mr. TynanTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Hamilton, South constituency were caught in benefit fraud in(a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000 and (d) 2001. [23360]
§ Malcolm WicksInformation about benefit fraud at constituency level is not available.