§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department and its agencies have been(a) disciplined, (b) suspended, (c) dismissed, (d) prosecuted and (e) convicted for 589W matters relating to benefit fraud in the current year and each of the previous three years; how much was (i) defrauded and (ii) recovered in each case, broken down by type of benefit; at what level in his Department and its agencies the decision is made on whether (A) to take no action, (B) to take internal disciplinary action or (C) to prosecute; what the policy of his Department and its agencies on the prosecution of staff suspected of benefit fraud is; and if he will make a statement. [88474]
590W
Staff Involvement in benefit fraud Case number Value of fraud (£) Outcome1 Benefit type 1999–2000 1 210,000 Prosecution resulting in custodial sentence Income support 2 30,000 Prosecution Income support 3 75.80 Officer dismissed Income support 4 1,753.00 Prosecution resulting in probation and community service Income support 5 4,462.97 Information no longer available Income support/jobseekers allowance 6 8,820.77 Prosecution resulting in custodial sentence Jobseekers allowance 7 144.20 Officer resigned Incapacity benefit 8 134.41 Officer resigned Incapacity benefit 9 4,224.28 Officer resigned Incapacity benefit/disability living allowance 10 957.56 Prosecution resulting in fine Family credit 11 17,880.80 Prosecution resulting in 150 hours community service order Family credit 12 1,947.08 Information no longer available Family credit 13 3,690.80 Officer dismissed Invalid care allowance 14 3,255.54 Officer dismissed Housing benefit 15 3,186.00 Officer resigned Housing benefit Total 290,533.21 2000–01 1 3,963.00 Disciplinary action not yet completed Income support 2 4,272.33 Officer resigned Income support 3 218.57 No disciplinary action taken Income support 4 887.18 Prosecuted, conditional discharge officer resigned Jobseekers allowance 5 426.14 Formal reprimand for five years Family credit 6 1,807.10 Downgraded, formal reprimand and promotion bar Family credit 7 3,697.06 Information no longer available Housing benefit 8 2,820.18 Prosecuted by Police resulting in community service and order to repay Housing benefit 9 7,631.37 Prosecuted resulting in probation and community service Housing benefit 10 2,140.00 Information no longer available Housing benefit 11 9,535.84 Prosecution resulting in community service and probation Incapacity benefit Total 37,398.77 2001–02 1 2,346.00 Written reprimand valid for 5 years Income support 2 2,660.72 Officer dismissed Housing benefit council tax benefit 3 5,000.00 Officer resigned Income support/incapacity benefit 4 2,904.00 Officer resigned Income support 5 3,005.00 Officer dismissed Income support working families tax credit 6 180,000 Prosecution resulting in custodial sentence Incapacity benefit Total 195,915.72 2002–032 1 1,807.00 Formal reprimand, downgraded, promotion ban for 2 years Family credit 2 5,300.00 Officer dismissed Incapacity benefit Total to date 7,107.00 1 Following prosecution, disciplinary action is taken and may lead to dismissal. 2 There are limited details available for the current financial year, as a number of potential cases of benefit fraud involving staff have not been concluded.
§ Malcolm WicksInformation is not available in the exact form requested. Such information that is available is shown in the tables. The tables show value of fraud, the outcome of investigation activity and the benefit subjected to the fraud. Information on amounts recovered is not routinely captured centrally. It is normal practice to recover wrongly paid sums. This can either be through the courts following prosecution or through departmental action.
591WDepartmental Policy on prosecution in benefit fraud cases.
For any cases of staff suspected of benefit fraud the decision maker would be at least a Deputy District Manager (Grade 7 or SMPB2) and they would decide whether or not to take any internal disciplinary action.
The Department's policy on prosecution in relation to benefit fraud considers various factors. However, where the person involved was in a position of trust such as a member of staff, prosecution would always be considered.
§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the total amount of fraud by each category of benefit in(a) the latest year available and (b) 1996–97; and if he will make a statement on the Government's strategy to reduce benefit fraud. [101515]
§ Malcolm WicksOur estimates of levels of fraud and error in income support and jobseeker's allowance are published in the series of reports "Fraud and Error in Claims for Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance" which are placed in the Library.
In April 2001 we also set up the housing benefit review which will deliver an on-going measurement of fraud and error in housing benefit. Fraud in other benefits is examined in our programme of National Benefit Reviews.
Our current estimate is that £2 billion is lost annually through all benefit fraud. We do not break this figure into separate benefit categories nor hold figures for previous years.
We are taking positive action to reduce fraud by making it harder to commit fraud, improving detection of fraud, and deterring those who might be thinking of committing fraud.
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., significantly outperforming our target of 10 per cent.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 9 December 2002,Official Report, column135W, how many custodial and non-custodial punishments were imposed in (a) 2001–02, and (b) each of the previous three years, broken down by type of disposal; and in how many cases in each year the offender was ordered to pay compensation. [89918]
§ Malcolm WicksThe information requested is not available. Pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member on 9 December 2002,Official Report, column 135W, corrected figures are shown in the tables.
Targeting Fraud Website (launched May 2000) Period Investigations completed Successful prosecutions May 2000 to March 2001 184 0 April 2001 to March 2002 673 4 April 2002 to December 2002 828 14 Source of information:
Fraud Information By Sector system1
592W
National Benefit Fraud Hotline2 Period Investigations completed Successful prosecutions 1999–2000 28,582 335 2000–01 33,134 492 2001–02 32,943 703 April-December 2002 25,081 546 Source of information:
National Benefit Fraud Hotline
1 The 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.
2 Full information on the number of investigations and successful prosecutions resulting from calls to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline is available only from April 1999.
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons have been gaoled for benefit fraud since 1997. [101551]
§ Malcolm WicksThe information is in the table.
Custodial sentences1 following investigations by Departmental Investigators Number 1997–98 551 1998–99 643 1999–2000 636 2000–01 653 2001–02 646 1 Imprisonment, Young Offenders Institute or custodial and fine. Source:
Fraud Information By Sector and data from Counter-Fraud Investigation Division (Operations)2
2 The 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.
§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the amount of benefit fraud in each year from 1990–91 to 2002–03 (estimated)(a) in total and (b) broken down by (i)housing benefit, (ii) council tax benefit, (iii) disability benefit, (iv) pensions and (v) jobseeker's allowance; and if he will make a statement. [97354]
§ Malcolm WicksOur most recent estimate is that £2 billion is lost annually through benefit fraud in Great Britain.
We have in place systems to provide an on-going measurement of loss in the three main income-related benefits Income support, jobseeker's allowance and housing benefit that between them account for about two-thirds of the fraud loss. The levels of fraud and error in income support and jobseeker's allowance are published in the "Area Benefit Review and the Quality Support Team reports on Fraud and Error in Claims for Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance", copies of which are in the Library. The first publication of findings from the housing benefit review is expected in autumn 2003. Our programme of National Benefit Reviews provides snapshot estimates of the level of 593W fraud in other benefits, most recently covering incapacity benefit in 2000 and has been placed in the Library.