Examination of Witnesses (Questions 120
- 124)
WEDNESDAY 29 APRIL 1998
MRS V STRACHAN,
CB, MR R ALLEN
and MR J MORTIMER.
120. Have you set targets for the avoidance
you would wish to claw back?
(Mrs Strachan) We have set targets for identifying
schemes to a value of-I am afraid I cannot remember the number
but I can let you have it if you want. Yes, we have set targets
for identifying schemes. In the nature of things it is not going
to be easy subsequently to validate those because to the extent
that we succeed, it will not happen, if you see what I mean.
Mr Love: May I ask for a brief note
on avoidance issues[8]?
Chairman
121. You have a number of notes to give
us and we have covered a good deal of ground today. I am just
going to ask you to repeat something for me because I did not
catch it earlier. When I was putting a question to you about some
of your operations you talked about some associated crime reductions
which came about as a result of some of your cross-Channel operations.
Is that right? Reductions in fraud and other areas. Can you just
tell me those again so I have them for my own record?
(Mrs Strachan) The Kent police reported an 18
per cent reduction in crime in the area during the period they
were engaged in an intensive exercise with us.
122. Where was that area?
(Mrs Strachan) Kent.
123. The whole of Kent.
(Mrs Strachan) Dover and adjacent areas. The DSS
reported a reduction in fraudulent benefit claims of about £350,000.
124. That was in Kent again. When was that?
(Mrs Strachan) That was pre-Christmas just gone.
Chairman: We very often trip over
bad things and it is quite interesting to trip over some good
things. We have come to the end of questioning. Thank you very
much for coming again in front of us. As a man who has a daughter
getting married this year I was very interested to hear the exchange
rate between Transit vans and weddings. It just remains for me
to say thank you very much for coming today and giving evidence.
8 Note: See Evidence, Appendix 1, page 17 (PAC 297). Back
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