§ Mr. DoddsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed in combating fraud in social security in Northern Ireland. [125308]
§ Mr. SpellarThe Social Security Agency has 385 staff who are involved in a number of activities to combat social security fraud, including the:
- measurement of the levels of fraud and error.
- analysis of the reasons and causes of fraud and error.
- reviewing of cases to identify inaccuracy at initial claim stage and within existing claims.
In addition to that, the agency also employs a further 184 staff in benefit security services who are dedicated to the identification, investigation and referral for prosecution of all cases of social security fraud.
§ Mr. DoddsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been prosecuted for fraud in relation to social welfare and benefit payments in each year since 1997. [125309]
§ Mr. SpellarThe number of successful prosecutions for social security fraud in each financial year since 1997 is listed in the table.
Financial year Successful prosecutions 1997–98 430 1998–99 448 1999–2000 519 2000–01 623 2001–02 520 2002–03 340