§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit fraud investigators were employed(a) directly by his Department, and (b) by agencies responsible to his Department in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [63682]
§ Malcolm WicksThe overall aim of the Department's anti-fraud strategy is to have a benefit system which is secure from first claim to final payment. The implementation of this strategy means than an antifraud focus is integral to the work of all staff in the Department, as is dealing with the wider agenda of error and incorrectness in benefit payments.
The information currently available suggests that, throughout the period, around 5,000 staff have been employed by the Department and its agencies in work to investigate suspicions of fraud. However, taking account of changes in data collection measures over time and the integration of investigators more fully with front-line staff, it is clear to me we need to improve the validity and reliability of year-on-year comparisons, and I have asked the Department to undertake further work on this. I have concluded that it is not possible to make valid comparisons between figures year-on-year.
I have therefore asked the Department to undertake a review to improve the consistency of centrally collected information for the future.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 30 October 2002,Official Report, c. 874W, on incentive payments for postmasters who report suspected benefit fraud, how many payments of (a) £10 and (b) £25 were made in each of the last three years. [79556]
§ Malcolm WicksThe information requested is in the table. The number of rewards has reduced as a result of the introduction of the Order Book Control System (OBCS). This is an electronic system that uses barcode196W scanning to alert a Post Office clerk that the order book presented to them has been reported lost, stolen or recalled. The order book is then impounded by the Post Office clerk. A reward would not normally be payable for order books impounded through the use of the OBCS. National rollout of the OBCS began in March 2000 and more than 99 per cent. of Post Offices were using the system by December 2001.
Number of £10 rewards Number of £25 rewards 1999–2000 46,314 16 2000–01 27,669 13 2001–02 17,982 59