Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reports of benefit fraud have been submitted to the Department for Work and Pensions between 2010 and the most recent date for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Freud
The number of reports of benefit fraud received by the Fraud and Error Service (FES) from 1st January 2010 to 30th September 2015 totals 4,889,021
You should not infer from this information that an actual offence has been committed. This information relates only to allegations and not completed investigations.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many incidents of benefit fraud have been recorded in the East Midlands region between 2010 and the most recent date for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Freud
The information is not available in the format requested.
Figures are only available for the Central region, which is made up of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland, East Anglia, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, Mercia, Brimigham and Solihull, Black Country, Shropshire and Staffordshire.
There were 42442 confirmed cases of benefit fraud recorded in the Central region between 1st January 2010 and 30th September 2015.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a statutory obligation for Jobcentre Plus officers to report suspected benefit fraud.
Answered by Lord Freud
As Civil Servants, all Jobcentre Plus staff must adhere to the Civil Service Code which states they must ‘comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice’.
Jobcentre staff have access to the DWP Fraud Referral Portal. This is a source of information and guidance for staff when fraud is suspected or has been notified by a member of the public.
A Fraud Referral Form is completed when a member of DWP discovers abuse of the benefit system whilst undertaking their official duties or if an allegation is received from, or about, an employer or organisation.
Where post is received into a Jobcentre referring to an allegation of potential fraud, this is passed on to the DWP’s Operational Intelligence Unit to investigate.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how Jobcentre Plus officers report suspected benefit fraud.
Answered by Lord Freud
As Civil Servants, all Jobcentre Plus staff must adhere to the Civil Service Code which states they must ‘comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice’.
Jobcentre staff have access to the DWP Fraud Referral Portal. This is a source of information and guidance for staff when fraud is suspected or has been notified by a member of the public.
A Fraud Referral Form is completed when a member of DWP discovers abuse of the benefit system whilst undertaking their official duties or if an allegation is received from, or about, an employer or organisation.
Where post is received into a Jobcentre referring to an allegation of potential fraud, this is passed on to the DWP’s Operational Intelligence Unit to investigate.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policy is in place to enable Jobcentre Plus officers to identify benefit fraud.
Answered by Lord Freud
As Civil Servants, all Jobcentre Plus staff must adhere to the Civil Service Code which states they must ‘comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice’.
Jobcentre staff have access to the DWP Fraud Referral Portal. This is a source of information and guidance for staff when fraud is suspected or has been notified by a member of the public.
A Fraud Referral Form is completed when a member of DWP discovers abuse of the benefit system whilst undertaking their official duties or if an allegation is received from, or about, an employer or organisation.
Where post is received into a Jobcentre referring to an allegation of potential fraud, this is passed on to the DWP’s Operational Intelligence Unit to investigate.