To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department investigate benefit fraud; what recent estimate he has made of the cost of that fraud to the public purse; and if he will make a statement.

As of the end of April 2023, DWP has 1,111 full time equivalent (FTE) employees involved in investigating benefit fraud. This number does not include our compliance staff, who carry out robust and challenging interviews to ensure benefit claimants receive their correct entitlement.

For the financial year 2022/23, DWP estimated that the monetary value of benefit overpayments due to fraud stood at £6.4bn.

Fraud and error in the benefit system Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)