§ David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of benefit fraud in the East Riding of Yorkshire in each year since 1997. [105281]
§ Malcolm WicksOur most recent estimate is that £2 billion is lost annually through benefit fraud in Great Britain. This estimate cannot be broken down for individual areas or years.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the incidence of organised fraud in connection(a) with each benefit and (b) in total was in each year since 1977; and if he will make a statement. [92298]
§ Malcolm WicksInformation on the incidence of organised fraud is not available. However, the information available on the number of investigations carried out and the resulting prosecutions by Counter-Fraud Investigation Division (Operations), who deal exclusively with organised fraud, is in the table. Records are not held prior to 1998–99.
435W
Number of investigations carried out and resulting prosecutions by Counter-Fraud Investigation Division (Operations), 1998 to 2003 Year Number of investigations authorised Successful prosecutions 1998/99 1,088 Not known 1999/00 516 361 2000/01 732 255 2001/02 500 272 April 2002 to February 2003 516 190 Source of Information:
Counter Fraud Investigation Division Operations
§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent measures he has taken to reduce fraudulent claims for benefits. [96532]
§ Malcolm WicksOur strategy for combating benefit fraud focuses on making correct benefit payments in the first place; ensuring payments are adjusted as circumstances change; detecting when payments go wrong and taking prompt action to correct them with appropriate penalties to prevent a recurrence.
Jobcentre Plus is providing a more comprehensive and integrated service for all benefit claimants. One-to-one interviews create a personal environment where the full and accurate details of a claim can be established and customers can be reminded of their responsibility to notify us of changes to their circumstances.
We have made excellent progress in the fight against fraud and error. By March 2002 we had reduced fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance by 24 per cent compared to 1998.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of benefit fraud in Portsmouth, South; and if he will make a statement. [97275]
§ Malcolm WicksOur most recent estimate is that £2 billion is lost annually through benefit fraud in Great Britain. This estimate cannot be broken down for individual areas.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fraud referrals there were(a) in the six months before the Targeting Fraud campaign and (b) during the Targeting Fraud campaign; and how many there have been since the Targeting Fraud campaign. [92500]
§ Malcolm WicksWe receive reports of suspected fraud from three main sources
members of the Department's own staff, who have reason to suspect that a person claiming benefit may not be telling the truth about their finances, employment or other personal details (for example whether they have support from a partner).research, including data matches of information held by the Department or legally accessed by the Department from other sources (for example, information held by the Inland Revenue on income or capital).concerned members of the public who send a message to the Targeting Fraud website or write to or telephone the Department.The major phases of the Targeting Fraud campaign were in March, September and November 2001, January and March 2002. The primary objectives of the campaign are to reinforce honest behaviour, to create a climate of intolerance to benefit fraud and to undermine 436W its social acceptability, rather than specifically to invite fraud referrals. Evaluation shows that public attitudes are moving in a positive direction as a result of the campaign.
The information requested on the number of fraud referrals is in the table.
Number of fraud referrals per month between October 2000 and November 2002 Month ending Number of fraud referrals1 October 2000 63,232 November 2000 64,334 December 2000 41,228 January 2001 62,013 February 2001 63,219 March 2001 67,384 April 2001 56,395 May 2001 59,052 June 2001 57,891 July 2001 59,858 August 2001 56,095 September 2001 49,749 October 2001 66,057 November 2001 58,254 December 2001 36,951 January 2002 57,263 February 2002 57,051 March 2002 52,833 April 2002 52,177 May 2002 53,722 June 2002 42,492 July 2002 55,375 August 2002 45,975 September 2002 46,862 October 2002 55,012 November 2002 48,437 1Figures include benefit and instrument of payment referrals but exclude General Matching Service referrals. Source:
Fraud Information By Sector system.