§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to(a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in 2002. [89893]
§ Mr. BlunkettThe Home Office has an Anti Fraud and Corruption Strategy that is based upon increasing the awareness of staff, use of cost effective methods to inhibit fraud and corruption and establishing procedures to respond effectively to incidents of alleged fraud including the provision of confidential 'hot lines'. The department's overall security arrangements provide the basis for combating theft, supported by reminders to staff about preventative measures available to them. Individual line managers are responsible for combating fraud and corruption in their own areas.
In the 2001–02 annual return, the known cost to the Department of fraud involving employees and contractors was £142,485, of which £121,310 related to the Department's agencies.