Fraud Bill [Lords]

The Solicitor-General makes a perfectly reasonable point that it all comes down to money and there is no doubt that resources for the investigation of fraud are limited. My hon. Friend may have seen the Norwich Union briefing, which showed that it uncovers thousands of fraud cases in any 12-month period, but that only a very small percentage of the total are even passed on to the police because of the company’s awareness of the lack of police resources. Certainly in my experience—and it is one of the reasons why the Serious Fraud Office was set up—many a prosecution in the late 1980s and early 1990s was investigated by officers of county constabularies who, although well meaning, were often out of their depth when it came to dealing with the elements of fraud. That often coloured the way in which the prosecution was conducted. By the time the prosecutor, and certainly barristers, got involved, it was evident that the whole case was completely on the wrong track. There were real problems. We may have an opportunity to debate in Committee the extent to which the Serious Fraud Office has been able to take a grip on the matter, but it is worth remembering that many frauds that concern individuals do not fall within the Serious Fraud Office’s remit. They are simple straightforward frauds, but they nevertheless have sufficient complexity to merit having officers—certainly police officers and, in my view, members of the Crown Prosecution Service—working on them who have an understanding of the concepts and pitfalls. My hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Hurd) made a fair point, but there are resource implications, so to that extent, I am sympathetic to the Solicitor-General and the problems that he faces.