Clause 15 - Colluding employers
Social Security Fraud Bill [Lords]
6:00 pm
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No. 56, in page 17, line 35, leave out from `where' to end of line 36 and insert
`the Secretary of State or an authority that administers housing benefit or council tax benefit is satisfied'.
The amendment should not detain us long. We tabled it not because we wish to raise yet again the definition of ``appears'' but to try to tease out from the Government the process that they envisage for dealing with colluding employers. Do they envisage an either/or situation of prosecution and penalties simultaneously, or prosecutions or penalties first? We thing that the best way to encourage employers not to collude is not necessarily to prosecute them, but I should be grateful if the Minister enlightened us about the general philosophy behind the Government's approach.