The Government could save £1bn by improving the detection of fraud in the public sector, it has been claimed. An Experian report estimates fraudulent benefit claims and social housing provision could be eradicated if ‘simple, cost-effective and proven' fraud prevention techniques were implemented more widely across the sector. The document, entitled Fighting fraud in the government's age of austerity, claims the savings could be made without new IT systems and would deliver an immediate crackdown on incapacity benefit (£300m), social housing (£600m) and council tax (£17m) fraud. Andrew Davis, head of fraud at Experian Public Sector, said: ‘Our analysis suggests this has been rising rapidly year-on-year – fuelled by specific, rectifiable challenges with the current system as well as financial stress and unemployment.'