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SOCIAL SECURITY
Benefits Fraud Hotline
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many calls have been made to the fraud hotline, broken down by type of benefit and outcome of investigation. [13051]
Mr. Heald: Up to end of December 1996, in the region of 130,000 calls had been made to the national benefit fraud hotline. Approximately 97,000 referrals have been received by the benefit fraud investigation service so far. Of these, around 76,000 were recorded on the fraud management information system and 5,000 have been recorded separately as part of spotlight initiative. The remaining 16,000 cases are either in transit between offices, awaiting initial scrutiny before entry on to the system, or linked to a referral previously received where an investigation is already under way.
From the recorded referrals, so far around 31,000 are being investigated, with 15,500 completed, of which 5,100 have scored benefit savings in the region of
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£14.1 million. The remaining 15,500 are expected to generate an additional £13.4 million in benefit savings. We believe that the existence of the fraud hotline also has a significant, although unquantifiable, impact on the level of fraud committed.
The fraud hotline caller does not always know the benefits in payment. Consequently, details of calls on a benefit-by-benefit basis have not been kept. This information is available for general fraud referrals, but it is not possible to track referrals in this way for specific fraud initiatives, such as hotline.
Mr. Alan Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what proportion of claimants of (a) income support, (b) housing benefit and (c) council tax benefit have earnings above the relevant disregard, giving figures separately for (i) couples, (ii) single people and (iii) lone parents. [13050]
Mr. Roger Evans:
The information is set out in the table:
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| Income support | Housing benefit | Council tax benefit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Per cent. | Number | Per cent. | Number | Per cent. | |
| Couples | 51,000 | 5.4 | 149,000 | 28.9 | 190,000 | 23.9 |
| Single without dependants | 33,000 | 0.9 | 98,000 | 10.1 | 81,000 | 6.7 |
| Single with dependants | 43,000 | 3.8 | 102,000 | 76.9 | 92,000 | 74.3 |
| All cases | 127,000 | 2.2 | 349,000 | 21.6 | 362,000 | 17.1 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.
2. Numbers refer to cases with earnings brought into account above the relevant disregard.
3. Proportions expressed are recipients with earnings above the relevant disregard as a proportion of the relevant group type (i.e., all couples/single/lone parents).
4. Figures refer to benefit units which may be a single person or a couple.
5. For the purpose of housing benefit and council tax benefit, earners have been identified as those with earnings from employment and self employment including those with part-time earnings.
6. Housing benefit/council tax benefit cases also in receipt of income support have been excluded as earnings have not been disregarded in terms of the housing benefit/council tax benefit assessment as they have already been taken into account in the Income Support assessment.
Sources:
1. Income support statistics quarterly inquiry May 1995.
2. Housing benefit management information system annual 1 per cent. sample inquiry, without income support, taken at the end of May 1995.
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Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what payments are made to doctors carrying out medical examinations for incapacity benefit claims; and what was the total cost in the last year for which figures are available. [14028]
Mr. Burt: The administration of Benefits Agency medical services is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Jimmy Hood, dated 5 February 1997:
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The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent parliamentary question about what payments are made to doctors carrying out medical examinations for Incapacity Benefit (IB) claims; and what was the total cost in the last year for which figures are available.
Doctors who undertake medical examinations in connection with IB are self employed contractors and are paid fees for the examinations they conduct. Additional expenses are also paid where appropriate.
For examinations conducted on Benefits Agency (BA) premises, doctors are paid a fee of £30.70 per hour. If the examination is conducted in a client's home, the fees are £37.90 for up to and including 1.5 hours, £56.90 for over 1.5 and up to 2.5 hours, and £88.40 for over 2.5 hours. Travelling and subsistence costs are also paid, based on prescribed amounts.
The total cost for the year ending March 1996 was £12,187,989, this figure is provisional and subject to change.
I hope this reply is helpful.
Rent Allowances
Mr. Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many single people (a) under the age of 25, (b) between 25 and 60 and (c) over 60 years are currently receiving rent allowances (i) in total and (ii) in each local authority area in England. [13779]
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Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table.
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| Single people without children receiving rent allowances by standard region and age as at May 1995 | Lone parents receiving rent allowances by standard region and age at May 1995 Total all cases | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claimant aged under 25 | Claimant aged between 25 and 60 | Claimant aged over 60 | Total | Claimant aged under 25 | Claimant aged between 25 and 60 | Claimant aged over 60 | Total | ||
| North | 9,000 | 23,000 | 24,000 | 56,000 | 4,000 | 13,000 | -- | 17,000 | 73,000 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 14,000 | 38,000 | 30,000 | 83,000 | 7,000 | 19,000 | -- | 26,000 | 109,000 |
| East Midlands | 11,000 | 28,000 | 19,000 | 58,000 | 5,000 | 15,000 | -- | 20,000 | 78,000 |
| East Anglia | 5,000 | 15,000 | 19,000 | 39,000 | 2,000 | 10,000 | -- | 12,000 | 51,000 |
| South-East | 64,000 | 220,000 | 147,000 | 431,000 | 25,000 | 101,000 | -- | 126,000 | 557,000 |
| Greater London | 35,000 | 139,000 | 62,000 | 236,000 | 10,000 | 49,000 | -- | 59,000 | 295,000 |
| Rest of South-East | 29,000 | 81,000 | 85,000 | 195,000 | 15,000 | 52,000 | -- | 67,000 | 262,000 |
| South-West | 19,000 | 46,000 | 34,000 | 99,000 | 6,000 | 21,000 | -- | 27,000 | 125,000 |
| West Midlands | 11,000 | 34,000 | 33,000 | 78,000 | 6,000 | 21,000 | -- | 26,000 | 104,000 |
| North-West | 21,000 | 69,000 | 54,000 | 145,000 | 14,000 | 32,000 | -- | 46,000 | 191,000 |
| England | 153,000 | 474,000 | 360,000 | 987,000 | 68,000 | 231,000 | 1,000 | 300,000 | 1,287,000 |
| Wales | 9,000 | 30,000 | 15,000 | 54,000 | 5,000 | 14,000 | -- | 20,000 | 74,000 |
| Scotland | 11,000 | 37,000 | 24,000 | 72,000 | 6,000 | 15,000 | -- | 21,000 | 93,000 |
| Great Britain | 173,000 | 541,000 | 398,000 | 1,112,000 | 79,000 | 261,000 | 1,000 | 341,000 | 1,453,000 |
Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
2. -- = nil or negligible.
3. Due to rounding totals may not sum.
4. Single people with or without children may have non-dependants in their households.
5. Rent allowances may be paid to regulated, deregulated and housing association tenants.
Source:
Housing benefit management information system, annual 1 per cent. sample May 1995.
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Benefit Uprating
Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the £16,000 upper capital limit for housing benefit and council tax benefit would be in 1997-98 if it had been uprated by (a) prices and (b) earnings since introduction. [14286]
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is set out in the table:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Uprated by prices | (29)21,408.90 |
| Uprated by average earnings | (30)22,820.65 |
Notes:
(29) Based on the retail prices index (all items) less rent, local taxes and mortgage interest payments.
(30) Based on the average earnings index (whole economy unadjusted).
1. Council tax benefit replaced community charge benefit in April 1990.
Source:
Office for National Statistics.
Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the value of the £3,000 capital limit for housing benefit and council tax benefit in 1997-98 if it had been uprated by (a) prices and (b) earnings since its introduction. [14285]
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Mr. Evans: The information is set out in the table:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Uprated by prices | (31)4,421.40 |
| Uprated by average earnings | (32)5,111.65 |
Notes:
(31) Based on the retail prices index (all items) less rent, local taxes and mortgage interest payments.
(32) Based on the average earnings index (whole economy unadjusted).
1. Council tax benefit replaced community charge benefit in April 1990.
Source:
Office for National Statistics.
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