2-12-02

Barrett concern over benefit fraud rise

John Barrett, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, today raised concerns over new figures which show a rise in benefit fraud and error.

The figures show that fraud and error recorded in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance stands at £1.15 billion, up by £10 million since the last set of figures were produced.

The report released by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) also shows that a quarter of a billion pounds is lost simply because of officials making mistakes with claims.

John Barrett MP said:

"The Government promised to get tough of benefit fraud but on these figures, the situation is getting worse rather than better.

"The fact fraud in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance now stand at over £1 billion a year just shows how much the Government has failed to tackle this problem.

"Most worrying though is how unsuccessful the DWP has been in even making a dent in Income Support fraud, a benefit targeted most by those looking to cheat the system. I hope these figures are a wake-up call to the Government who must now put their fine words into action and take effective steps to tackle benefit fraud."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• The Department for Work and Pensions have released the report "Fraud and Error in Claims for Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance from April 2001 to March 2002". It provides an update on the last set of figures which covered the period October 2000 to September 2001. The latest figures reveal that fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance stands at £1.15 billion, up on the last set up figures when it stood at £1.14 billion.