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Dept of Social Security;Social Security Benefits Agency

Answer

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is her current estimate of the extent of family credit fraud. [46203] Mr. Field: Tackling fraud and abuse is a top priority for the Government. Operational issues are the responsibility of Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend. Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Paul Goggins, dated 24 June 1998: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for current estimate of the extent of Family Credit (FC) fraud. The Benefits Agency (BA) carries out a Benefit Review Programme in order to reach reliable estimates of the level of fraud on BA benefits. In 1997 the Agency (BA) conducted a pilot Benefit Review of FC in preparation of a main review. The pilot gave us information on methodology and indications about types of fraud, but was a test sample with no statistical validity. Work on the main Benefit Review of FC has been suspended for the present following the decision to move to a Working Families Tax Credit next year. The BA is now in discussion with the Inland Revenue over the results of the pilot review and to explore whether any additional work is needed to further assist and inform the security of Working Families Tax Credit. Although the results from the pilot were not statistically valid, we have put work in hand to follow up weaknesses highlighted by the pilot review, in order to make Family Credit more secure. The "Securing Family Credit" project was initiated in January this year in order to do this. I hope you find this reply helpful.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

314 c623-4W; 46203

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Abuse Family credit Social security