§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons were(a) convicted and (b) acquitted of benefit fraud offences in each of the last three years, broken down by type of offence; how many of those convicted of each type of offence in each year were sentenced to (i) immediate custody and (ii) other dispoals broken down by type of disposal; what the (A) mean average and (B) longest individual custodial sentence imposed in each year was for each type of offence; and if he will make a statement. [88466]
§ Malcolm WicksInformation on benefit fraud by type of offence and the length of custodial sentences imposed following conviction are not recorded. The available information is in the table.
Further analysis of investigation data has required revisions to previously published figures. The corrected data is shown in the table.
Outcome of prosecutions following investigations by Departmental Investigators Convictions Custodial sentences1 Community sentences2 Other sentences3 Acquittals Total prosecutions 1997–98 551 2,553 8,282 137 11,523 1998–99 643 2,292 7,032 162 10,129 1999–2000 636 2,215 6,274 143 9,268 2000–01 653 2,704 8,313 181 11,851 2001–02 646 3,067 7,470 172 11.355 Notes:
1Imprisonment, Young Offenders Institute, custodial and fine
2Community Service
755W3Absolute discharge, conditional discharge, compensation only, admonishment, fine, community rehabilitation, suspended sentence, supervision order, Young Offenders Institute, attendance centre, unknown
4The fraud database shows completed cases commenced in the relevant period. Due to the elapsed time between commencement of an investigation and completion of a prosecution there are cases that are inserted into previously completed data for earlier periods. All totals are therefore correct at the time when quoted but subject to adjustment at a later date.
Source:
Fraud Information By Sector system and data from Counter-Fraud Investigation Division Operations4