To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010, Official Report, column 105W, on social security benefits: fraud, how many ongoing investigations there are into cases of benefit fraud in each of the countries listed; how many of her Department’s investigating officers are based abroad, and in which countries; with which countries her Department has arrangements in relation to benefit fraud; what the total budget is for her Department’s Targeting Fraud campaign; and how much has been spent on the campaign to date. (320158)

[holding answer 3 March 2010]: Information regarding the number of ongoing benefit fraud investigations in other countries has been collected since 1 April 2009. The number of ongoing benefit fraud investigations since then in each of the countries requested is as follows:

No Department for Work and Pensions benefit fraud investigators are based abroad. However, there are 16 Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff based abroad funded by the Department for Work and Pensions whose duties include undertaking information gathering on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions to assist UK-based fraud investigators in their work.

The Department for Work and Pensions has Memoranda of Understanding with the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Australia and information sharing arrangements with New Zealand and the USA to ensure the correct administration of social security and prevention of benefit fraud.

The budget for the 2009-10 Targeting Benefit Thieves campaign is £5 million. To the end of February the budget committed for 2009-10 is £4,803,420.52.