Mr. John McKeon:

To be fair, I quoted the figures in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report because that is what I must respond to. I was careful to talk about the overwhelming majority of customers being open and honest in their dealings with the Department. I clearly said the evidence is that the levels of fraud and error are relatively low. I was careful to say we cannot frustrate access to entitlement. I was careful to say that only a small minority of people are, regrettably, involved. Although I did not put the figures out, I was clear to draw the distinction. In our fraud and error studies, which we publish, the figures are clearly broken down and are on our website. The Department is always careful when it discusses this issue to draw that precise distinction. Today, I was asked to respond to the data in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report and that is what I did.