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Whistleblowers Hotline

Volume 407: debated on Monday 16 June 2003

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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls have been made to the Department's Whistleblowers Hotline in each year since its introduction, broken down by category; and what action has been taken on those cases. [112647]

The Whistleblowers Hotline was set up in December 2000 and can be used by any member of staff who wants to report wrongdoing anywhere in the Department but who does not want to report their concerns through the usual channels.The categories of cases reported to the Department's Whistleblowers Hotline, and detailed in the table below, are categorised using the criteria set out in the Public Interest (Disclosure) Act 1998.The Act is designed to protect workers from suffering detriment by their employer if the worker has made a qualifying disclosure as defined within the Act.The Departmental group which manages the hotline service is independent of local management. All concerns raised are considered by this group and referred for further investigation to the appropriate authority whether inside or outside the Department.

(b) prosecuted for social security fraud in each year since 2000; how much was involved; what were the penalties; and if he will make a statement. [118077]

Information is not held centrally on the value of fraud where a prosecution or sanction has been applied. The available information is in the table.

Category1 December 2000 to 31 March 20011 April 2001 to 31 March 20021 April 2002 to 31 March 2002
Criminal offence committed151520
Breach of legal obligation556
Miscarriage of justice101
Danger to health and safety003
Damage to the environment110
Concealment of any of the above matters212
Total242232
The Department only started tracking outcomes of investigations in October 2002.The Department takes all allegations of wrongdoing by staff very seriously. It carriesout probing enquiries to determine whether the allegation is substantiated and if appropriate, takes disciplinary or other action. In instances where criminal offences have occurred the individual can also be prosecuted