He said that calls to the Government's fraud telephone hotline and tip-offs from neighbours and family members accounted for

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He said that calls to the Government's fraud telephone hotline and tip-offs from neighbours and family members accounted for only 3 per cent of prosecutions against those dishonestly claiming benefits. "But 3 per cent is better than no per cent," said Sir Richard.He told the Commons Public Accounts Committee that the hotline acted as a "deterrent" to dissuade people claiming unemployment benefits from working illegally.Under questioning Sir Richard said the Government did not know whether housing benefit fraud was rising or falling "We think down, but we don't know," he said. He hoped new computer systems would be able to identify far more fraudulent claimants. "We are assuming that IT will deliver one-third of gains between now and 2006," he said. "Two-thirds will have to come out of grinding up performance."Sir Richard said he was disappointed that more had been done to cut housing benefit fraud, saying: "I would agree with the committee that the pace of change has been less than we would like." He also admitted that the Government may have "overestimated" the number of disabled people who have been defrauding the Government.Sir Richard told the committee of MPs that the Department of Work and Pensions wanted to look again at the number of people it believes are wrongly claiming disability living allowance."In relation to disability living allowance we believe it is very difficult to know," he said. "We think it could be overestimated, which is why we are very interested in looking again at it."The benefit tops up the income of disabled people to help them cope with the extra costs of their disability..

Peter Mandelson admitted yesterday that George Bush was not Tony Blair's "greatest asset" in his attempts to persuade the British people to back a war on Iraq. But Mr Mandelson, who is giving a lecture at the University of Kent today on relations between America and Europe, said both sides needed each other despite all the "tensions and difficulties".Opinion polls regularly show that President Bush has an extremely negative image in Britain, a factor tarnishing support for any war against Saddam Hussein.Mr Mandelson, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week, made it clear that Mr Blair was well aware of the British public's sceptical view of the Bush administration. "The problem we have is that whereas people are on balance prepared to give Tony Blair the benefit of the doubt, people in Britain and Europe unfortunately are less prepared to do that in the case of George Bush I think that's quite an issue. I wouldn't say he's [Mr Blair's] greatest asset."I think Tony Blair does find himself straddling rather uncomfortably the division that has emerged between Europe and America on this issue."Mr Mandelson said America's co-operation was vital for issues such as global pollution, the Middle East peace process and the regeneration of Africa. He insisted that the European Union was in danger of becoming "progressively irrelevant" in international affairs because of a lack of will and unity.A further indication of the irritation among Mr Blair's senior advisers with hardline elements of the Bush administration came yesterday from Sir Christopher Meyer, the outgoing British ambassador in Washington.

Referring to remarks about "old Europe" by Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, Sir Christopher said: "Things have been said which have made the situation worse and not better and we can do without this."Rumsfeld has said some things that were unnecessarily abrasive for a European audience ... We can do without Europeans being slapped down as if they ought to know their place and keep quiet. It doesn't help anybody."Sir Christopher's comments echoed those of Jose Maria Aznar, the Spanish Prime Minister, who urged Mr Bush to "muzzle" Mr Rumsfeld.. Victims of domestic violence are to be told by nurses, social workers and health visitors about how they can use the law to protect themselves from abusive partners.

But guidance from the Lord Chancellor's Department will ask them to actively offer legal remedies to victims.Rosie Winterton, a minister at the Lord Chancellor's Department, has published a detailed guide for health and social service workers who may find themselves treating a victim of abuse. She believes many battered women are unaware of the range of legal remedies. "As a society we should no longer be prepared to tolerate such behaviour and must continue to send clear messages to victims and perpetrators alike that acts of domestic violence are taken seriously," she said.The guide outlines "civil remedies and criminal sanctions" available to victims, including non-molestation and occupation orders. The Government is preparing a White Paper including stronger penalties for violent partners..