Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.
The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report.
Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss, and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many domestic overnight visits Ministers within their Department have taken in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of those visits.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals).
However, as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many domestic overnight visits Ministers within their Department have taken in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of those visits.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (vias, accommodation, meals).
But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many domestic overnight visits Ministers within their Department have taken in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of those visits.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals).
But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers' travel at home or abroad.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many domestic overnight visits Ministers within their Department have taken in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of those visits.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visa's, accommodation, meals).
The Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers' travel at home or abroad. This has been the case under successive administrations.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits. The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crossgovernment-fraud-landscape-annual-report-2022]. This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.
Details on detected fraud and error in the FCDO in each of the last three financial years can be found in the Annual Reports and Accounts:
[https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1019938/FCDO_annual_report_and_accounts_2020_to_2021_accessible.pdf]
[https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62e3bd54e90e07143d51932f/FCDO_Annual_Report_2021_2022_Accessible_290722.pdf]
[https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64b18b8f07d4b8000d34733a/Foreign-Commonwealth-and-Development-Office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023.pdf]
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three financial years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department. Reports and guidance that the Department has published can be found on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publish annual statistical estimates of the size of the tax gap and money lost to fraud and error.
The latest estimates of the tax gap were published in Measuring tax gaps 2023 edition: tax gap estimates for 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The latest error and fraud estimates for the Corporation Tax Research and Development relief schemes and for Child Benefit were published in HMRC annual report and accounts: 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The latest published Tax Credits Error and Fraud statistics were published in Child and Working Tax Credits error and fraud statistics 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many domestic overnight visits Ministers within their Department have taken in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of those visits.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government publishes the cost of overseas ministerial travel, including the travel ticket costs and other costs like accommodation and meals, on the GOV.UK website. However, as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on ministers’ travel at home or abroad.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding her Department has (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on advertising in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Based on the latest figures, the total cost of advertising incurred by the Department for the last three financial years are as follows:
- £7,865,577 in 2020/21;
- £28,985,080 in 2021/22; and
- £14,957,885 in 2022/23.
Advertising budgets are set as part of the campaign planning process, and media is booked to meet these budgets.