Disability Living Allowance: Fraud
Work and Pensions
Phil Wilson (Sedgefield, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) fraud and (b) incorrect payments relating to disability living allowance in each of the last 10 years.
Chris Grayling (Minister of State (Employment), Work and Pensions; Epsom and Ewell, Conservative)
Consistent figures for overpayments due to fraud and error on disability living allowance are only available from 2004-05.
The information is shown in the following table.
| Estimated overpayments due to fraud and error on disability living allowance: From 2004-05 to 2009-10 | |||
| £ million | |||
| Fraud | Customer error | Official error | |
| 2004-05 | 40 | 50 | 60 |
| 2005-06 | 40 | 50 | 70 |
| 2006-07 | 40 | 60 | 70 |
| 2007-08 | 50 | 60 | 80 |
| 2008-09 | 50 | 70 | 80 |
| 2009-10(1) | 60 | 70 | 90 |
| (1) Preliminary estimates. Note: Estimates are rounded to the nearest £10 million. Source: National Statistics: Fraud and Error in the Benefit System (various publications) | |||