Written question asked by Lucy Powell (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 December 2014, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 December 2014 (named day). It was answered by Lord Maude of Horsham (Conservative) on Monday, 15 December 2014 on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Government Departments: Fraud and Administration

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost was of (a) fraud and (b) error across government in the last year.

Answer: The latest audited fraud and error figures available are for 2012/13. During this year DWP reported £3.5 billion on benefits and pensions and HMRC reported £2.01 billion on tax credits. Reported fraud and error across the rest of central government was £70 million, however this figure does not include all arm’s length bodies.

In 2011 this Government established the Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce to develop and coordinate the delivery of initiatives across government as previously no systematic attempt had been made. It has achieved significant improvements, including the appointment at Departmental board level of an accountable individual with responsibility for identifying and reducing fraud and error losses in their department.

Secondary information