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Benefit Fraud
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many prosecutions have followed from calls made to the Benefit Fraud Hotline in each month since May 1997; and what the total annual saving arising from the Benefit Fraud Hotline has been since its establishment. [75849]
Mr. Timms: Administration of the Benefit Fraud hotline is the responsibility of Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Iain Duncan Smith, dated 12 March 1999:
15 Mar 1999 : Column: 480
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the number of prosecutions which have followed from calls made to the Benefit Fraud Hotline in each month since May 1997; and what the total annual saving arising form the Benefit Fraud Hotline has been since its establishment.
Investigations by the Benefits Agency, which include cases which start as a Hotline referrals, have led to 8,417 prosecutions in the year to date (to the end of January 1999.) Figures for referrals, in each month since May 1997 are provided in the attached table. Figures for the number of these referrals that then result in prosecutions have only been recorded since January 1999.
The total Weekly Benefit Savings achieved by the National Benefit Fraud Hotline since its launch in August 1996 to date (to end of January 1999) is £108.9m.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
| Year | Month | Cases referred for Prosecution |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | May | 45 |
| June | 71 | |
| July | 61 | |
| August | 31 | |
| September | 6 | |
| October | 40 | |
| November | 67 | |
| December | 12 | |
| 1998 | January | 41 |
| February | 25 | |
| March | 28 | |
| April | 3 | |
| May | 65 | |
| June | 26 | |
| July | 16 | |
| August | 87 | |
| September | 2 | |
| October | 13 | |
| November | 50 | |
| December | 14 | |
| 1999 | January | 8 |
| Total | 711 |
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what definitions of high and low suspicion of fraud are used for categorising cases in the Area Benefit Review Programme. [76108]
Mr. Timms: The administration of the Area Benefit Review Programme is the responsibility of Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my right hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Frank Field, dated 12 March 1999:
15 Mar 1999 : Column: 481
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the definitions of high and low suspicion of fraud used for categorising cases in the Area Benefit Review Programme.
The definitions of high and low suspicion are set out in the Governmental Statistical Service Area Benefit Review Results published in November 1998 and you may wish to refer to this document. The published headline figures of fraud and error exclude high and low suspicion of fraud. We are following up specific cases so that those originally classified as high suspicion of fraud can be subsequently confirmed as fraud, re-classified as correct, or remain as high suspicion.
As part of our commitment to improve the administration of the benefit system we have been working to clarify the definitions as published in the above report. The revised definitions are set out below.
Low suspicion of fraud means that the reviewing officer suspects that fraud exists, but the evidence is weak, and benefit entitlement does not change. For example, a customer with a long-term claim appears to be living above their means, but there are no solid grounds for suspicion, and no means of establishing the source of the financing.
High suspicion of fraud means that, on the balance of probabilities, a fraudulent situation exists, but there is insufficient information to prove fraud, and benefit entitlement does not change.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Benefit Interviews
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 2 March 1999, Official Report, column 709, on benefit interviews, whether a claimant will be able to provide the completed claim form by post or by another person delivering it to the relevant agency. [75851]
Angela Eagle: Claim forms delivered by post or by another person will be accepted where the claimant's readiness for work has been reviewed and a decision taken as to whether an immediate work-focused interview is appropriate. If not, we will take steps to contact the claimant to resolve these issues before benefit is put into payment.
Family Resources Survey
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the special analyses, including unpublished tabulations, of the Family Resources Survey which were undertaken by his Department for the Pension Provision Group. [76098]
Mr. Timms: The following analyses of the 1995-96 Family Resources Survey were undertaken for the Pension Provision Group:
Tabulation of the individual incomes of men and women over State pension age.
Tabulation of the incomes of single pensioners.
Tabulation of the average incomes of pensioner units by source and by marital status and gender.
Tabulation of the average incomes of pensioner units by source and by marital status and age under/over 75.
Estimation of the number of benefit units becoming entitled to means-tested benefits were upper capital limits to be removed and tariff income calculated for all capital above the lower capital limit.
Estimations of the numbers of people below State pension age in paid employment in the UK who are currently contributing to SERPS and occupational pension schemes and who have ever contributed to a personal pension scheme, by gender and full-time or part-time employment status.
Bereavement Benefits
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the average age of those ceasing to receive widowed mother's allowance on the grounds that they no longer have dependent children. [76112]
Angela Eagle: The average age of those ceasing to receive Widowed Mother's Allowance between September 1997 and September 1998 is 51.
- Notes:
- 1. Average age calculated of widows who were in receipt of Widowed Mothers Allowance (WMA) and had a dependent child in September 1997, but by September 1998 were in receipt of Widows Benefit (WB) but no longer had a qualifying dependent child.
- 2. The average does not include WMA cases that move off WB completely as it may be reasons other than no longer having a dependent child/ren.
- 3. Excludes Northern Ireland.
- Source:
- 5 per cent. sample of Pension Strategy Computer System.
15 Mar 1999 : Column: 482
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many new claimants of widow's benefits there were in each year since 1992; and what percentage of those claimants were in each region and nation. [76135]
Angela Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
| 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 30,000 | 25,880 | 23,480 | 19,420 |
| Scotland | 3,860 | 3,320 | 2,780 | 2,520 |
| Wales | 2,300 | 2,100 | 1,160 | 1,440 |
| Overseas | 2,420 | 2,100 | 1,540 | 1,100 |
| All Countries | 38,580 | 33,400 | 28,960 | 24,480 |
| % | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | |
| England | 77.7 | 77.5 | 81.1 | 79.3 |
| Scotland | 10.0 | 9.9 | 9.6 | 10.3 |
| Wales | 6.0 | 6.3 | 4.0 | 5.9 |
| Overseas | 6.2 | 6.3 | 5.3 | 4.5 |
| All Countries | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
Notes:
1. New widows estimated from 5 per cent. samples of Pension Strategy Computer System between September of each year.
2. Data not available prior to September 1994.
3. Excludes widows who received a Widows Payment lump sum with no succeeding award of Widows Benefit.
4. Excludes Northern Ireland.
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the numbers of those receiving (a) widowed mothers allowance and (b) widows pension in each region and nation; and how many people (i) claimed widowed mothers allowance for the first time, (ii) transferred from widowed mothers allowance to widows benefit and (iii) claimed widows benefit for the first time in the most recent year for which figures are available. [76113]
Angela Eagle: The information is not available the format requested. Such information as is available is in the Tables.
| Widows pension | Widowed mothers allowance | All | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 171,560 | 37,440 | 209,000 |
| Scotland | 24,120 | 5,100 | 29,220 |
| Wales | 11,360 | 2,480 | 13,840 |
| Overseas | 13,180 | 2,960 | 16,140 |
| All | 220,220 | 47,980 | 268,200 |
Notes:
1. Caseload estimate from 5 per cent. samples of Pension Strategy Computer System.
2. Excludes widows who received a Widows Payment lump sum with no succeeding award of Widows Benefit.
3. Excludes Northern Ireland.
15 Mar 1999 : Column: 483
| Widows pension | |
|---|---|
| England | 1,320 |
| Scotland | 280 |
| Wales | 100 |
| Overseas | 40 |
| All | 1,740 |
Notes:
1. Caseload estimated from 5 per cent. samples of Pension Strategy Computer System.
2. Excludes widows who received a Widows Payment lump sum with no succeeding awards of Widows Benefit.
3. Excludes Northern Ireland.
| Widows pension | Widowed mothers allowance | All | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 15,020 | 4,400 | 19,420 |
| Scotland | 1,980 | 540 | 2,520 |
| Wales | 1,180 | 260 | 1,440 |
| Overseas | 1,000 | 100 | 1,100 |
| All | 19,180 | 5,300 | 24,480 |
Notes:
1. New Cases estimated from 5 per cent. samples of Pension Strategy Computer System.
2. Excludes widows who received a Widows Payment lump sum with no succeeding award of Widows Benefit.
3. Excludes Northern Ireland.
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