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Dept for Work and Pensions

Answer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit fraud investigators were employed (a) directly by his Department, and (b) by agencies responsible to his Department in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [63682] Malcolm Wicks: The overall aim of the Department's anti-fraud strategy is to have a benefit system which is secure from first claim to final payment. The implementation of this strategy means than an anti- fraud focus is integral to the work of all staff in the Department, as is dealing with the wider agenda of error and incorrectness in benefit payments. The information currently available suggests that, throughout the period, around 5,000 staff have been employed by the Department and its agencies in work to investigate suspicions of fraud. However, taking account of changes in data collection measures over time and the integration of investigators more fully with front-line staff, it is clear to me we need to improve the validity and reliability of year-on-year comparisons, and I have asked the Department to undertake further work on this. I have concluded that it is not possible to make valid comparisons between figures year-on-year. I have therefore asked the Department to undertake a review to improve the consistency of centrally collected information for the future.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

392 c183W;392 c195W; 63682

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Abuse Department for Work and Pensions Fraud Inspections Staff Social security benefits

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk