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Statement on the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Cherwell District Council. - Inc fact that report in Library (Dep DWP;BFI).

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

21 October 2002

For answer on

22 October 2002

Answered on

22 October 2002

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement about the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Cherwell District Council. [76871] Malcolm Wicks: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate's (BFI) inspection report on Cherwell District Council was published on 19 September 2002 and copies of the report were placed in the Library. The BFI finds that the council had implemented improvements since its Best Value Review and the BFI Best Value inspection in October 2001. The introduction of a customer service team has had a positive impact on claims processing speed as this team deals with all telephone enquiries from claimants, which allows processing of claims without interruption. The council had set challenging targets to answering telephone calls quickly and BFI found the service to be efficient. The report identifies a number of strengths and good practices. The council is commended for the high standard of verifying claims for benefit, recording the required evidence to support the claim and using efficient procedures to control and monitor claims. The council has effective mechanisms for the identification, classification and recovery of overpayments and is commended for its use of management information for monitoring performance. However, the report notes that a number of cases sampled had been incorrectly classified. The council is recommended to use its powers to recover debt in all appropriate cases to improve the rate of recovery. The council is also commended for its partnership approach to long-term strategies. The Community Plan has been produced with 15 public, private and voluntary sector organisations after extensive consultation with local people. The report recognises the council's commitment to fraud prevention, deterrence and detection. Fraud awareness among benefit staff is high and this is reflected in the number of high quality fraud referrals that benefit staff make to the council's fraud investigators. BFI expresses concern with the lack of management checks on IT security. The council has responded positively to this and has taken immediate steps to rectify the situation.

Date

22 October 2002

Reference

76871; 391 c131-2W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

Statement on when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Manchester City Council. (Report in Library Dep 01/993).

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

27 June 2001

For answer on

28 June 2001

Answered on

28 June 2001

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Manchester City Council. [1945] Malcolm Wicks: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published to day in respect of Manchester City council and copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report makes recommendations to help the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as its counter fraud activities. Inspectors found that Manchester City council provided a very poor service to claimants, particularly in the time taken to process new claims and changes of circumstances. Considerable backlogs of work had developed, although the report notes the council took steps to deal with the backlog and the situation improved. The report notes some weaknesses in the verification of new claims and in renewal cases the council focused on ensuring that payment was made rather than making sure that the determination was correct. Inspectors found weaknesses in the council's counter fraud strategy and concluded that the counter fraud team was under resourced. There were also weaknesses in the identification and classification of overpayments, and the recovery of overpayments was very poor. Inspectors consider a good number of the problems would have been avoided if the council had planned and managed better the major changes it made in 1999-2000 and earlier. However, the reports notes the council has said that it has made management and operational changes to address the weaknesses identified by the inspection, especially in work prioritisation, structure, communications and recruitment. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

28 June 2001

Reference

370 c155W; 1945

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of the London Borough of Hackney. - (In Library Dep 01/470). - Includes fact that published today and copy in Library.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

22 March 2001

For answer on

23 March 2001

Answered on

23 March 2001

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of the London borough of Hackney. [155728] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today in respect of the London borough of Hackney and copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report makes recommendations to help the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as its counter fraud activities. The reports main conclusion is that the standard of service provided to benefit claimants over the past three years has been very poor. The council contracted out its Benefits and Revenues services in 1997 and the BFI reports that flaws in the contract coupled with a failure to invest sufficient resources in the client side management, has contributed to the present situation. Inspectors found that a poorly designed claim form, considerable backlogs and very poor processing performance was having an effect on other parts of the service leading to significant delays and a sharp increase in the numbers of complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman. The report notes that some measures were introduced to improve customer service. But the effectiveness of these measures is being seriously undermined by long waiting times and inefficient use of the caller centre. Inspectors found that since April 1999 Hackney has failed to comply with the requirement to notify claimants of their benefit entitlement and subsequent changes. The report also noted major concerns in the prevention and recovery of overpayment. In 1999-2000 the HB debt was £17.8 million. The report notes the introduction of a strong management structure of the council's counter fraud unit and a number of good practices. But limited resources were resulting in poor quality fraud investigations and a failure to make full and proper use of all investigative practices and powers. The report notes, however, that a new Managing Director took up post during the BFI inspection and its clear that considerable effort is being put in to address some of the significant weaknesses in performance. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

23 March 2001

Reference

155728; 365 c366-7W

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Glasgow City Council. (In Library Dep 01/472). - Includes fact that published today and copies of the report in Library.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

22 March 2001

For answer on

23 March 2001

Answered on

23 March 2001

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Glasgow city council. [155729] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today in respect of Glasgow city council and copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report makes recommendations to help the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as its counter fraud activities. Overall, inspectors found a number of weaknesses and poor standards of performance in benefit administration and counter fraud work that needed immediate attention. They also identified inconsistent and ineffective work practices and substantial delays with appeals and review boards. The BFI notes the council's lack of effective performance standards and targets, inadequate management information, weaknesses in checks and controls, the poor management in the recovery of benefit overpayments and inadequate standards in fraud investigations. The report notes that the council was preparing for the possible bulk transfer of its council housing stock to the private sector. Should this go ahead, the implications for the delivery of benefits service are enormous. The report concludes that BFI has serious concerns about Glasgow's performance in managing and delivering a secure benefits service. More positively, however, the report notes that the council has recognised the significant challenges it faces and is committed to and already acted upon a number of BFI's recommendations. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

23 March 2001

Reference

155729; 365 c367-8W

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Sheffield City Council. (In Library Dep 01/471). - Includes fact that published today and copies of the report in Library.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

22 March 2001

For answer on

23 March 2001

Answered on

23 March 2001

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Sheffield city council. [155730] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today in respect of Sheffield city council and copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report makes recommendations to help the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as its counter fraud activities. Inspectors found a number of weaknesses and poor standards of performance in benefit administration and counter fraud work. Performance is failing to meet contractual expectations in a number of key areas. The report notes the council is struggling to cope with significant backlogs of work which are resulting in lengthy delays in claims processing and reduced customer services. The council has introduced measures to resolve the backlogs and some progress is being made towards restoring an effective benefits service. Benefits administration needs to be improved with regard to verification, overpayment classification and implementation of effective qualify checking controls. Although some weaknesses were found in the control and management of overpayments work Inspectors found the council to be pursuing recovery of debts effectively. The report notes that although there is some good counter fraud work, it is not focused and management controls are largely ineffective and provide little assurance. Inspectors found investigation work to be of poor quality and insufficient to tackle the estimated level of fraud in the council's area. Inspectors were pleased to find effective corporate policies and measures were in place to encourage an anti-fraud and corruption culture. The report concludes that the council has shown a positive commitment towards improving its performance and is developing an action plan to address the issues raised by the inspection. Some remedial action had already taken place by the time the inspection finished. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

23 March 2001

Reference

155730; 365 c368-9W

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Liverpool City Council. - Inc ref to fact that Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today in respect of Liverpool city council, copies in Library.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

5 March 2001

For answer on

6 March 2001

Answered on

6 March 2001

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Liverpool city council. [152672] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today in respect of Liverpool city council and copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report makes recommendations to help the authority address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as its counter fraud activities. Overall, inspectors found a number of weaknesses and poor standards of performance in benefit administration and counter fraud work that needed immediate attention. Inconsistent and ineffective work practices were found and there were substantial backlogs of work affecting over 30,000 benefit claims which had led to lengthy delays in claims processing. The BFI reports the authority's lack of effective performance standards and targets, inadequate management information, weaknesses in checks and controls, poor management and recovery of benefit overpayments and no formal assessment of the risks of benefit fraud. The report notes that although there is some good counter fraud work, it is not focused and significant effort is being wasted. Where management checking exists it is largely ineffective and provides little assurance. The report concludes that BFI has serious concerns about Liverpool's recent performance in managing and delivering a secure benefits service. More positively, however, the report notes that the authority has recognised the significant challenges it faces and is strongly committed to a significant change programme that will involve overhauling its systems, structures and processes. While BFI recognises the size of the task and that the necessary changes will be difficult, inspectors are encouraged by the authority's commitment to tackle these issues. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the authority for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

6 March 2001

Reference

364 c168-9W; 152672

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what progress he has made on his PSA target of reducing losses from fraud and error in income support and jobseeker's allowance. - Including figures.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

14 February 2001

Reference

363 c135W; 150793

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Westminster City Council. - Including fact that report was published today, in Library. (Report in library as Dep No 00/1587).

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

25 October 2000

For answer on

26 October 2000

Answered on

26 October 2000

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Westminster City Council [135680] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today in respect of Westminster City Council and copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report provides recommendations aimed at helping the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as their respective counter fraud activities. The BFI reports that the council has a strong client side team to manage its contracted out benefit administration and counter fraud work. However, the complex management framework and associated organisational arrangements has led to inefficiencies and delays in processes. The report notes that significant work will be required by the council before it can give an assurance that the right amount of benefit goes to the right person in every case. Inspectors found levels of verification being applied to claims did not meet the minimum standards of the Verification Framework (VF) and recommend full implementation of the VF. Inspectors considered the council's benefits claim form required enhancement so as to reduce the number of requests made to claimants for further information. The BFI also recommends formal liaison arrangements should be introduced with private sector landlords. Inspectors report there is potential for the council to make greater use of statutory powers for the recovery of overpayments from private landlords and for registering debts with the court. The report notes the council's strong counter fraud stance which is supported by elected members. BFI states performance in fraud investigations would be improved if the council set targets for investigations and monitored outcomes. Inspectors noted a number of good practices and initiatives such as the council's work with the Department of Environment, Transport and the Region's Rough Sleepers Unit and work undertaken to improve liaison arrangements between the Benefit Service and the Housing Department. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for their proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

26 October 2000

Reference

355 c164W; 135680

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he expects to publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Burnley Borough Council. - Including fact that report was published on 5 October 2000, in Library.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

25 October 2000

For answer on

26 October 2000

Answered on

26 October 2000

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Burnley Borough Council. [135677] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report in respect of Burnley Borough Council was published on 5 October, during parliamentary recess. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report provides recommendations aimed at helping the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as their respective counter-fraud activities. The BFI reports that, at the time of the inspection, the council was providing a poor service to claimants, particularly in the time taken to process many claims. The report identifies weaknesses in the council's application of the Verification Framework (VF) and a failure to ensure all appropriate references had been made to the Rent Officer. The report notes that little action had been taken by the council to address potential problems associated with private landlord cases which make up a high proportion of the claims case load and represent one of the highest risk areas. BFI identified that the council needs to introduce effective liaison arrangements with its local landlords and for relevant information to be collected so that risks can be assessed. Inspectors report that the work of the counter-fraud section was not managed effectively and there was a need for the council to use its fraud database to analyse risk categories and prosecute offenders where appropriate. During the inspection, the council was planning to clear arrears of work and recruit and train additional staff. The BFI considered work backlogs needed to be tackled as a matter of urgency. A reduction in delays for processing claims and tightening the application of the VF in the areas specified in the BFI report could, inspectors say, greatly improve the service provided to claimants, and, at the same time, tighten the gateway to benefits. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and has asked the council for their proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

26 October 2000

Reference

355 c162-3W; 135677

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Bristol City Council. - Including fact that Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today, in Library. (Report in library as Dep No 00/1585).

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

25 October 2000

For answer on

26 October 2000

Answered on

26 October 2000

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Bristol City Council [135681] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today in respect of Bristol City Council and copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report provides recommendations aimed at helping the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as its counter-fraud activities. BFI reports a lack of senior management accountability in Bristol City Council. Management information was found to be poor with no effective means of measuring and monitoring performance at a corporate level and the council was unable to reconcile information between different accounting systems. BFI states this led them to question the integrity of the data used to claim DSS subsidy. Inspectors found serious deficiencies in the council's administration of benefits and efforts to counter fraud which require immediate attention. The report notes serious concerns about weaknesses in the assessment, control and payment of benefit. The BFI concluded that the council had no effective assurance that claims were calculated correctly from the outset. The classification of overpayments and recovery of debts were considered to be poorly managed across sites with no specific policy for the recovery of Housing Benefit overpayments. The council could not provide details of debts recovered. In the area of counter fraud activities, the BFI raises concern about the limited resources being deployed and the general poor quality of investigations. Despite this, the council has had some success in prosecuting benefit cheats. More positively, Inspectors found that Bristol City Council keeps the public informed about access to benefits and has a well designed claim form. A formal and structured training and development programme is operated for staff and implementation of the Verification Framework in 1999 had been well managed. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

26 October 2000

Reference

355 c161W; 135681

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he expects to publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Nottingham City Council. - Including fact that report was published on 5 October 2000, in Library.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

25 October 2000

For answer on

26 October 2000

Answered on

26 October 2000

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Nottingham City Council. [135678] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report in respect of Nottingham City Council was published on 5 October 2000, during parliamentary recess. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report provides recommendations aimed at helping the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as their respective counter-fraud activities. Inspectors found the council's staff committed to battling against arrears of work and striving to overcome long-term problems associated with a shortfall in staff resources and deficiencies in management and control. The report identifies some effective work in the benefits processing area, but also several areas of deficiency. The BFI considered the council needed to introduce a structured regime of checking to gain necessary management assurance about security, accuracy and quality in benefit administration. The report states that the council's management needs to be more actively involved and that security concerns and audit recommendations should be addressed promptly. The BFI found counter-fraud work was particularly weak, despite a steer from council members in 1997 that there was support for effective action to be pursued against fraudsters. To address this, the BFI recommends a thorough review of all counter-fraud operations. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and has asked the council for their proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

26 October 2000

Reference

355 c162W; 135678

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he expects to publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. - Including fact that report was published on 12 September 2000, in Library.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

25 October 2000

For answer on

26 October 2000

Answered on

26 October 2000

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, when he expects to publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. [135676] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report in respect of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council was published on 12 September 2000, during parliamentary recess. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report provides recommendations aimed at helping the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as their respective counter fraud activities. The BFI report found that Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council performed well in some areas and that staff were both helpful and committed to raising the standard of benefit delivery and counter fraud work. However noticeable differences in performance and procedure were identified between the two sites of Neath and Port Talbot. Inspectors considered that some good counter fraud practices had been introduced, such as a prosecutions panel. However, the BFI found that the council did not make effective use of the statutory powers for inspectors given by the 1997 Fraud Act. As well as identifying a need to improve investigation techniques, the report notes a lack of performance targets for investigators. Inspectors state overpayments recovery was a particularly weak area with no specific overpayment policy and no targets for staff. There was no management information collected which could have helped the council to prevent overpayments occurring. Finally, because classification of overpayments were poor and essential procedures are not followed, the BFI raised doubts about the validity of the council's subsidy claim. More positively, inspectors found the council has elected member support for its counter-fraud efforts. It has recently introduced the Verification Framework, which will provide a minimum set of standards for ensuring verification checks are made on claims. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and has asked the council for their proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

26 October 2000

Reference

355 c163-4W; 135676

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

Statement on when he will publish the reports of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Hart District Council and Lancaster City Council. (In library Dep No 00/1084 and 00/1085). - Inc fact that reports have been published today, in Library.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

3 July 2000

For answer on

4 July 2000

Answered on

4 July 2000

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the reports of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Hart District council and Lancaster City council. [129386] Mr. Rooker: Benefit Fraud Inspectorate reports have been published today in respect of Hart District council and Lancaster City council and copies of these reports have been placed in the Library. Both reports contain recommendations to address weaknesses and help the councils to improve their administration and counter fraud activity for Housing and Council Tax Benefits. Inspectors report a commitment by Lancaster City council to tackling fraud but considered there was a need to support this commitment in operational terms. The BFI raises a number of concerns including a need for Lancaster City council to address urgently its inadequate management information systems and limited management checking regime. In their report on Hart District council Inspectors found some good working practices, but weaknesses were identified in a number of key areas. There were several areas where the council had failed to make sure benefit payments were free from fraud and error and where they failed to comply with the law. The report on Hart District council notes a need for the council to tighten verification procedures so, as a minimum, they match the standards outlined in the Verification Framework. Inspectors found the council's counter fraud activity to be ineffective and although high level counter fraud policies had been developed, these had not been underpinned with detailed operational measures. The BFI also reports that these policies did not have the commitment of staff or management to implement them. The Secretary of State is now considering both these reports and will be asking both councils for their proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Date

4 July 2000

Reference

353 c159W; 129386

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what steps she is taking to minimise fraud in the transition from family credit to the working families tax credit. - Ref to 314 c623-4W, 25 June 1998.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Social Security

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

30 June 1998

Reference

315 c149W; 46202

House

House of Commons

Dept of Social Security;Social Security Benefits Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, what is her current estimate of the extent of family credit fraud. - Text of letter from Peter Mathison of Benefits Agency.

Asked by

Paul Goggins (Labour)

Answering body

Social Security Benefits Agency

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

11 June 1998

For answer on

25 June 1998

Answered on

25 June 1998

Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is her current estimate of the extent of family credit fraud. [46203] Mr. Field: Tackling fraud and abuse is a top priority for the Government. Operational issues are the responsibility of Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend. Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Paul Goggins, dated 24 June 1998: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for current estimate of the extent of Family Credit (FC) fraud. The Benefits Agency (BA) carries out a Benefit Review Programme in order to reach reliable estimates of the level of fraud on BA benefits. In 1997 the Agency (BA) conducted a pilot Benefit Review of FC in preparation of a main review. The pilot gave us information on methodology and indications about types of fraud, but was a test sample with no statistical validity. Work on the main Benefit Review of FC has been suspended for the present following the decision to move to a Working Families Tax Credit next year. The BA is now in discussion with the Inland Revenue over the results of the pilot review and to explore whether any additional work is needed to further assist and inform the security of Working Families Tax Credit. Although the results from the pilot were not statistically valid, we have put work in hand to follow up weaknesses highlighted by the pilot review, in order to make Family Credit more secure. The "Securing Family Credit" project was initiated in January this year in order to do this. I hope you find this reply helpful.

Date

25 June 1998

Reference

314 c623-4W; 46203

House

House of Commons

Librarians' tools

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House

Session

Year

Department

Member

Primary member

Answering member

Legislative stage

Legislation

Subject

Publisher