Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was collected in fines for benefit fraud (a) in each region in England and (b) in Wales in each of the last two years.

Bridget Prentice
I have been asked to reply.

HMCS systems do not identify the value of fines collected for specific offences and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The total value of all financial penalties collected in each of the HMCS regions and Wales for the last two years is as follows:

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|          |2007-08   |2008-09   |
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|London    |38,252,467|35,497,811|
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|Midlands  |49,334,655|47,945,264|
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|North East|35,700,661|33,397,953|
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|North West|35,906,704|34,972,432|
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|South East|52,314,591|52,209,726|
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|South West|28,259,819|27,053,693|
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|Wales     |16,348,762|15,442,822|
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