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Fraud
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many small-scale frauds have been prosecuted, and how many prosecutions have been successful, since the publication of the Green Paper "Beating Fraud is Everyone's Business" in July; and what the equivalent figures were for each of the previous five years. [65440]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 14 January 1999]: As yet we have made no provision to break down national prosecution statistics by the amount of overpayment involved. Keeping the value of a fraud is no guarantee that a fraudster will not be prosecuted. The amount involved is only one of the factors considered when deciding whether it is appropriate to prosecute an individual case.
We shall respond shortly to the consultation on the Green Paper.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps have been taken to implement plans to improve the security culture of staff with particular reference to relating performance appraisal and performance-related pay to security. [65456]
Mr. Timms
[holding answer 14 January 1999]: The Department's Agencies are taking forward a number of activities to promote security awareness and to ensure that where appropriate, security features are included in key work objectives and in the performance appraisal system.
Mr. Dobbin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if it is the Government's eventual aim to have the basic state pension increased in line with average earnings. [65882]
Mr. Timms:
The basic State pension will remain a key building block of the pension system and will continue to be increased at least in line with prices.
Mr. O'Hara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many British citizens live in countries in which their British state retirement pension is (a) uprated annually and (b) not uprated annually. [66097]
Mr. Timms:
Around 390,000 pensioners living abroad receive a United Kingdom basic State Pension, which is uprated annually. Around 450,000 receive a basic UK State Pension which is frozen, either at the rate paid on leaving the UK or, if already living abroad, at the rate when first awarded.
Mr. Lock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's policy on the confidential transfer of information on the names of persons in receipt of means-tested benefits from his Department to individual education authorities solely in order to permit the education authority to establish the number of children in its area who qualify for free school meals. [65815]
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Angela Eagle:
The Department would not normally disclose confidential personal information to a local education authority without the consent of the individual concerned.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what discussions he has had with (a) the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith) and (b) other Liberal Democrat hon. and right hon. Members concerning the development of Government policy on pensions. [65817]
Mr. Darling:
I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 14 January 1998, Official Report, column 270.
Mr. Rendel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the estimated costs to the Contributions Agency associated with clearing the current backlogs which have occurred as a result of delays in implementing the NIRS II system. [65992]
Mr. Timms:
The information is not available.
The Department's Agencies involved and Andersen Consulting have been working to an agreed plan to stabilise the system. As many of the milestones in this plan have been achieved recovery plans are now being drawn up. This planning needs to be progressed further before a cost can be associated to the recovery exercise.
Mr. Rendel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the amount of compensation likely to be paid to personal pension providers by the Contributions Agency, as a result of delays in implementing the NIRS II system. [65991]
Mr. Timms:
The total amount of compensation to be paid to Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes on behalf of their scheme members will be determined by the date on which the posting of 1997-98 Class 1 Contributions is completed. Progress has been made and it is anticipated that the contribution information held for that year should be posted by April 1999.
It is estimated that the total amount of compensation to be paid will be between £35 and £40 million.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what date the agreement with the Post Office not to redirect benefit payments came into operation for each region of the country. [66127]
Angela Eagle:
The national agreement with the Post Office not to redirect Social Security related local authority post will come into operation from 1 February 1999. All local authorities will be invited to participate in the initiative later this month.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the numbers currently below the lower earning threshold of national insurance and the
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number estimated in this category for each of the five decades following the introduction of the state second pension. [65172]
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 11 January 1999]: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Frank Field, dated 18 January 1999:
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Attorney-General when he expects to receive the report from the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding the conduct of the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to the case R v. A. Hacker and M. Yeoman tried at the Plymouth Crown Court on 6 January concerning a domestic burglary in Salcombe; and if he will make a statement on the conduct of this case. [66109]
The Attorney-General:
The Director of Public Prosecutions received reports about the case of R v. Hacker and Yeoman in December 1998 and on 11 January 1999. The Director of Public Prosecutions wrote to the hon. Member on 11 December 1998. I have seen those reports for the purpose of answering this Question. However, the DPP has statutory responsibility for the casework of the Crown Prosecution Service and he will be writing further to the hon. Member.
Mr. Robert Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the (i) task forces, (ii) review panels and (iii) advisory groups his Department has, (b) the remit of each and (c) the members of each together with their principal employment and their level of remuneration. [62810]
Mr. Denham:
Copies of the information requested about the task forces and review panels have been placed in the Library. Information on advisory groups could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Atherton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance his Department will offer to Cornwall in dealing with problems that may arise from the total eclipse of the sun on 11 August 1999. [65034]
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Mr. Denham:
Officials from the South West Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive are already working together with the local health authorities and NHS trusts, and other local bodies, to ensure that the NHS has adequate plans in place to meet the demands placed on it during the period of the eclipse.
Dr. Brand:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial support is available to Scilly Islands residents travelling to mainland hospitals for specialist treatment and advice. [65274]
Mr. Denham:
Residents from the Isles of Scilly requiring treatment at mainland hospitals are reimbursed the cost of the flight from the Isles of Scilly to Penzance, less a £5 contribution. Residents claiming income support are reimbursed the full cost of the flight. These payments are made by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Health Authority from their own resources. The health authority does not receive additional funding for these payments.
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about people earning less than the lower earnings threshold for National Insurance contributions.
The latest estimates available from the UK Labour Force Survey are that, in summer 1998, 2,367,000 employees earned less than £64 per week (the lower limit for Class 1 National Insurance contributions in the current tax year). The vast majority of these, 2,174,000, worked part-time.
Projections for future years are not available.
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