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Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter dated 27 October to the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency regarding a constituent (ref. 6432). [64008]
Angela Eagle: The Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency replied to the hon. Member on 11 December 1998.
Benefit Integrity Project
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what percentage of cases reviewed under the Benefit Integrity Project have resulted in claimants (a) losing their entitlement, (b) having the level of their entitlement reduced and (c) having the level of their entitlement increased; [63507]
- (2) how many complaints have been lodged by disability living allowance claimants as a result of decisions reached as a result of the Benefit Integrity Project, in each month since its introduction; [63508]
(3) how many people in receipt of disability living allowance have been reviewed under the Benefit Integrity Project since its introduction. [63506]
Mr. Timms: The administration of the Benefit Integrity Project is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, Peter Mathison. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 14 December 1998:
15 Dec 1998 : Column: 499
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact of the Benefit Integrity Project in generating cost savings and reducing the level of benefit fraud. [63509]
Mr. Timms:
The administration of the Benefit Integrity Project is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, Peter Mathison. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 14 December 1998:
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will review the provision of Benefits Agency services in New Milton. [62318]
Angela Eagle:
The administration of the Benefits Agency is a matter for Peter Mathison, its Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Desmond Swayne, dated 14 December 1998:
15 Dec 1998 : Column: 500
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how anglers' landings are taken into account for quota management purposes when anglers' catches are unknown; [63361]
(2) which EU Member States impose restrictions on sea angling; [63360]
(3) how much fish was caught by sea anglers in (a) January to June 1997, (b) June to December 1997, (c) January to June 1998 and (d) June to September 1998 or other periods in 1997 and 1998 for which figures are available. [63359]
Mr. Morley
[holding answer 14 December 1998]: European Union regulations on annual total allowable catches and quotas require that all landings be counted against a Member State's share of the total allowable catch for each quota stock. It is for each Member State to decide how its quotas are managed. We do not have detailed information on the management arrangements operating in other Member States although we understand that some have imposed restrictions on sea angling.
The Ministry does not collect information on catches made by vessels engaged in recreational angling. For the purposes of quota management in the UK all vessels used to convey pleasure anglers are, irrespective of their length, grouped with under 10 metre commercial fishing vessels. When therefore fisheries for individual stocks are closed to the under 10 metre commercial fleet by means of statutory prohibition orders, all vessels used to convey anglers fishing for pleasure are also prohibited from landing fish. Closures are imposed when the total available quota allocation for a particular species has been taken.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he has undertaken with (a) the manufacturers of zinc bacitracin, (b) poultry breeders and (c) farming unions about the European Commission's proposal to withdraw authorisation of zinc bacitracin; and if he will make a statement. [64030]
Mr. Rooker:
We have received a number of communications from Forum Holdings Ltd. and are fully aware of their concerns. Copies of the Commission's proposal have been sent informally to the major interested parties and a formal information letter was sent to interests including poultry breeders and farming unions on 11 December.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the consistency of the European Commission's decision to withdraw authorisation for zinc bacitracin and three other veterinary medicines with the precautionary principle of the Commission's guidelines for its implementation; and if he will make a statement. [64026]
Mr. Rooker:
Zinc bacitracin and the three other antibiotics covered by the proposed suspension are authorised as zootechnical feed additives for growth promotion and not as veterinary medicines. The proposal was made because of evidence assessed by the EU
15 Dec 1998 : Column: 501
Commission's Scientific Committee for Animal Nutrition that the use of certain antibiotics for growth promotion contributes to the overall selected pressure for resistant bacteria. The Government have received advice from the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food and from the Veterinary Products Committee which recommends the phasing out of certain antibiotic growth promoters. This advice confirms the principles laid down in the Swann Report in 1969 that antibiotics which may impair the efficacy of prescribed therapeutic antibiotics used in human medicine through the development of resistant strains of organisms should not be authorised for growth promotion.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the animal welfare implications of the proposed European Union ban on the use of zinc bacitracin; and if he will make a statement. [64033]
Mr. Rooker:
An abrupt suspension, as originally proposed by the European Commission, would have been likely to cause considerable health and welfare problems for livestock. That is why we argued successfully for an extension which permits us to introduce the ban with effect from 1 July 1999, allowing producers some time to adapt to the loss of zinc bacitracin.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking how many people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) have been reviewed under the Benefit Integrity Project (BIP), what percentage of cases reviewed under the BIP have resulted in claimants (a) losing their entitlement, (b) having the level of their entitlement reduced and (c) having the level of their entitlement increased, and how many complaints have been lodged by DLA claimants as a result of decisions reached following a BIP review for each month since its introduction.
Since its introduction 149,054 customers in receipt DLA have had their claims examined by the BIP. Benefit was removed in 8.13% (12,118) cases, reduced in 13.03% (19,424), and increased in 2.26% (3,373). In 76.58% (114,139) of cases entitlement was unchanged.
Statistical information about the BIP is published on a monthly basis and is placed in the House of Commons Library.
Where a customer is dissatisfied with the outcome of a BIP review, or simply dissatisfied with a decision, their normal course of action would be to request a review or appeal. There have been 22,689 reviews and 5,925 appeals received. Complaints are recorded
only where a customer is dissatisfied with the standard of service they have received. Records of customer complaints about the BIP are available from June 1998 only and are as follows:
June: 121
July: 127
August: 179
September: 159
October: 111
I hope you find this reply useful.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment he has made to the impact of the Benefit Integrity Project (BIP) in generating cost savings and reducing the level of benefit fraud.
The current estimate of benefit expenditure savings from the Benefit Integrity Project are: £8m in 1997-98, £30m in 1998-99 and £35m in 1999-2000.
The purpose of the BIP is to identify and put right incorrectness in the payment of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). The Benefits Agency carries out investigations into cases of suspected fraud in DLA. 1,929 cases, including 75 cases generated by BIP, were referred up to 31 March 1998. None of the cases generated by BIP have been referred for prosecution.
I hope you find this reply useful.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if he will review the provision of Benefits Agency services in New Milton.
There are no plans at present to review the services provided by the Benefits Agency (BA) to the residents of New Milton. However the Agency is always seeking to ensure its services in line with the modern delivery of services expected by Ministers to support their Welfare Reform Programme. the District Manager for Solent and Forest, John Cullen, based in Southampton would be pleased to receive your suggestions on the service we currently offer our customers in New Milton.
Whilst there is no specific BA outlet at New Milton there is a Public Caller Office at Lymington which is co-located with the Employment Service Jobcentre (ESJ) and which offers a full BA enquiry service. The main BA processing site for the area in which New Milton is situated is at Totton. There are also ESJs situated at Hythe and Ringwood.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
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