Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many calls were made to the helpline established to report instances of potential fraud regarding the furlough scheme in the last twelve months; and how many of those calls related to cases in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

There are two hotlines that the public can use to contact HMRC to report potential fraud. The first (0800 788 887) is a dedicated HMRC line and the second, the COVID Fraud Hotline (0800 587 5030) is a Government line, in conjunction with Crimestoppers, which was launched in October 2020.

HMRC are unable to provide the breakdown requested within the timeframe given to respond. However, HMRC are able to provide the total number of calls received about the furlough scheme over the last 12 months from 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2021: