Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cross-government-fraud-landscape-annual-report-2022). This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.

Information on detected fraud and error can be found in Defra’s Annual Report and Accounts. The Annual Report and Accounts for the past three years may be accessed here:

Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (publishing.service.gov.uk)