DWP Central Freedom of Information Team

Our Ref: VTR1252

17 December 2008

Dear Pat,

Freedom of Information Request - VTR 1252

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request, which you requested on 3 December 2008. You requested to know where the DWP collects its information for the processing of benefit fraud and how many investigations have been instigated in the last 6 months and how many have led to convictions, both nationally and specifically in North Wales.

Allegations of benefit fraud are received into the Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) from a variety of sources, including the National Benefit Fraud Hotline, the Internet, by post, from a Local Authority or the Police and through data matching with other organisations.

Once an allegation is received, consideration is given to whether an investigation is appropriate. Where there is insufficient information, for example: no customer details, the allegation is closed.

If further evidence is required to substantiate the allegation FIS can contact various external bodies for that evidence, for example: the customer's employer for details of wages; banks & building societies for savings information; utility companies for bills and phone suppliers for details of phone records. (list is not exhaustive)

In the last six months (June 08 to November 08) there have been:

Cases opened for consideration of investigation:

Nationally 89,993

Wales 6,553

North Wales 1,096

Conviction data is not available for the period requested.

If you are not satisfied with my handling of your request please tell me why within two calendar months of the date of this letter. I will then arrange for an internal review of your request and my actions. The review will be conducted by another officer of a more senior grade to myself who took no part in my original decision. The reviewing officer will advise you of his decision in writing.

If you are still not satisfied after we have looked at your request again, you can then ask the Information Commissioner to look into the way your request has been handled. The Commissioner is an independent officer who is appointed by Her Majesty the Queen and who reports directly to Parliament. The Commissioner can see all the papers about your request and decide whether my decision is fair and meets the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Fax: 01625 524 510

e-mail: http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely

DWP Central FoI Team