Reports by The National Audit Office and The Audit Commission estimate that of the £11.1 billion spent on Housing Benefit in 1996-97 some £905 million may have been claimed fraudulently.The study found that many of the measures taken by the Department of Social Security and local authorities to combat fraud had been successful. The amount of fraud detected had increased dramatically and the number of local authority staff employed in tackling fraud had risen significantly. The NAO reviewed Housing Benefit from the Department’s point of view and the Commission reviewed it from the local authority standpoint. They both spell out opportunities to build on the success achieved.

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