Question 52
4. The Committee asked for information on the allocation
of NINOs to adults: The Adult Registration Process
4.1 An adult, who needs a NINO for a benefit claim, for employment
purposes, or to pay voluntary NI contributions applies on form
CA5400 at a District Office of the Benefits Agency. Under the
BA/Contributions Agency (CA) National Service Statement, Benefits
Agency staff deal with applications for both employment and benefit
inspired NINOs on a behalf of the CA.
4.2 When an application for a NINO is received, checks are
made on DSS systems to see if the applicant already has a NINO.
If a NINO is traced the applicant is informed of the number, subject
to satisfactory evidence of identity checks. If a NINO cannot
be traced, the procedure for allocating a NINO differs, depending
on whether the applicant needs it to claim benefit or needs it
for employment purposes. If the number is required for a benefit
claim it will be needed immediately to allow benefit to be paid,
and is therefore allocated to the applicant by the benefit office
using the Departmental Central Index (DCI), subject to satisfactory
evidence of identity checks. Following allocation, CA5400 is sent
to the CA to register the number on National Insurance Recording
System (NIRS). The applicant will receive a NINO card following
registration on the NIRS system.
4.3 In employment or NI Contribution inspired applications,
the BA will carry out evidence of identity checks, and send CA5400
to the CA for a NINO to be allocated and registered in NIRS. The
customer is notified of their NINO on issue of the NINO card.
The National Insurance Registrations section in Newcastle currently
processes all employment inspired applications for NINOs. They
also ensure that NINOs allocated by DCI in respect of benefit
inspired applications are registered on the NIRS system. The Unit
also checks all forms CA5400 for accuracy and completeness and
logs all applications on a central registry system. Checks are
made before registration as follows:
— that the individual does not already have a NINO
on NIRS/DCI;
— if the applicant has any work or length of stay
restrictions shown on supporting documentation, the Home Office
is informed that the person has applied for a NINO;
— where a UK or Republic of Ireland birth or marriage
certificate is used as supporting evidence of identity at the
local office, checks are made within NI Registrations section
against a database containing the reference numbers of blank missing/stolen
birth/marriage certificates.
Any suspicious cases are referred for investigation.
4.4 In 1997-98 there were 285,198 adult registrations, 78,297
in connection with benefit claims and 206,901 for employment purposes.
Identity checks
4.5 Tighter controls over the allocation of NINOs have been
introduced including the introduction of more robust evidence
of identity interviewing techniques, installation of anti-forgery
equipment into all BA offices and CA Compliance Investigation
Teams, introduction of new Audit Trail Analysis System rules to
improve internal security and introduction of customised training.
Three training modules have been introduced to raise general identity
and fraud awareness issues, enhancing DCI tracing skills and training
to help staff understand their role when interviewing and customers
identity, history and documents.
4.6 These measures complement the procedures introduced pursuant
to Section 19 of the Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act
1997 which makes entitlement to benefit conditional on the production
of information or evidence required to enable a NINO for the claimant
or any person included in the claim to be traced, confirmed or
allocated.
4.7 We do not rely on documentation alone, to check the identity
of claimants or NINO applicants. Documentation provides only part
of the picture and we confirm information from a number of sources
including DSS records, other government departments and organisations
which have been mentioned in the documentation.
NI Integrity Plan
4.8 New work is underway under the NI Integrity Action Plan
to examine the NINO allocation process. The work will encompass
control and access levels to DCI, reducing the number of staff
directly involved in NINO allocation and improving local control
of access to NINO allocation dialogues.
8 September 1998
