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Benefits (Shropshire)

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners he estimates will benefit from the minimum income guarantee uprating in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire in the first year of its operation; and if he will make a statement. [107255]

Mr. Rooker: Based on the latest administrative data that the Department holds, it is estimated that over 2,000 pensioners in the constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham, and some 7,000 pensioners in the county of Shropshire will benefit from this April's increase to the minimum income guarantee.

Notes:

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.

2. Pensioners are defined as where the claimant, and/or partner is aged 60 or over.

3. Sample size 5 per cent.

4. Figures for 1998 are allocated by matching the postcode against the 1998 version 1 of the Postcode Directory, and 1999 figures by matching the postcode against the 1999 version 1 of the Postcode Directory.

Source:

Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, August 1998 and August 1999.

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of severely disabled children aged three and four who will benefit financially from the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire in the first year of its operation; and if he will make a statement. [107254]

Mr. Bayley: This information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.

In 2001-02 we estimate that approximately 7,000 severely disabled children aged three or four in Great Britain will become entitled to the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). If the proportion of gainers in the areas requested were in line with the proportion of all DLA recipients in these areas, about 10 children would qualify in Shrewsbury and Atcham and about 50 in Shropshire.

Automated Credit Transfer

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many benefit recipients have been paid twice as a result of recent errors in the automatic credit transfer system; how much was overpaid; what was the cost of the steps taken to recover the overpayment; how much has so far been repaid; and if he will make a statement. [107636]

Angela Eagle: The administration of benefit payments is a matter for Mr. Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 31 January 2000:

The Secretary of State has asked Peter Mathison to respond to your recent question asking how many benefit recipients have been paid twice as a result of recent errors in the automatic credit transfer system; how much was overpaid, what was the cost of the steps

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taken to recover the overpayment; how much has so far been repaid; and if he will make a statement. As he is unavailable due to annual leave I am replying.

A computer processing problem resulted in a batch of Income Support payments paid by Automated Credit Transfer being duplicated. 112,000 Income Support customers received duplicate payments amounting to £10.5m. The payments were made into customers' bank accounts on 18 January. The duplicate payments made represent a very small proportion of the total number of Income Support payments the Agency makes each year.

Our aim is to protect the public purse and seek recovery when able to do so. Steps have been taken to account separately for the recovery of these duplicate payments and the Benefits Agency's Central Recovery Group (CRG) were asked to co-ordinate the recovery. Customers were notified of the problem by letter on 24 January and given details of how to repay the duplicate payment. Letter were issued to 109,663 customers. Letters were not issued where we had been informed the customer has since died or where the amount paid was less than £5.

The Central Recovery Group has set up dedicated phone lines to receive phone calls from customers who needed to speak to somebody about how to pay the money back. Customers can also contact their local benefit offices for advise and guidance.

Although customers have been asked to make repayment to the Central Recovery Group, customers may chose to make repayment at their local office. Although no specific information has yet been collected, Central Recovery Group estimate that in the last two days they have already received about 28,000 replies. The 3,000 opened today contained £157,000 in repayments. The vast majority of callers have also indicated a willingness to repay. This indicates a positive outlook for recovery from customers.

No estimate is yet available as to the extra costs incurred in recovering the overpaid benefit.

I hope this is helpful.

Departmental Research Contracts

Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 21 December 1999, Official Report, column 541W, on departmental research contracts, if he will place a copy of the standard research contract in use by his Department in the Library. [107096]

Mr. Rooker: A copy of the standard Department of Social Security research contract has been placed in the Library.

Winter Fuel Payments

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will issue guidance to local benefit offices concerning the manner in which winter fuel payments are to be processed. [107853]

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Dr. Brand) on 24 January 2000, Official Report, column 81W.

New Deal (Lone Parents)

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether single parents with a degree qualification can qualify for the New Deal for Lone Parents. [107462]

Angela Eagle: All lone parents on Income Support are eligible to join the voluntary New Deal for Lone Parents.

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Since October 1998, when the New Deal for Lone Parents was launched nationwide, over 104,000 lone parents have attended interviews, 89 per cent. of these have decided to participate and over 28,000 have obtained jobs.

Benefit Payment Methods

Mr. Ashdown: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2000, Official Report, column 572W, on benefit payment methods, what assumptions about the number of people who will opt to have benefits paid directly into a bank account rather than at a post office underlay his forecast of annual savings; and if he will make a statement. [107786]

Mr. Rooker: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 17 January 2000, Official Report, column 333W.

Fraud Inquiry

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the cost of the inquiry was into organised benefit fraud by John Scampion. [108041]

Mr. Rooker: Funding of £85,000 was allocated to the review of organised fraud. The final costs of this exercise are not yet known.

Gardening Leave

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many officials in his Department are on gardening leave. [108055]

Mr. Rooker: The terms and conditions of the Department do not include a provision for gardening leave. We would interpret the term as applying to staff who have no current assignment and are in receipt of full pay and are not required to attend for work. The Department currently has no staff whose absence falls within this interpretation.

CABINET OFFICE

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to reduce the number of non-departmental public bodies. [106731]

Mr. Stringer: The number of non-departmental public bodies has fallen by 6 per cent. since 1997 and now stands at 1,057. This information is published in Public Bodies 1999, copies of which are available from the Libraries of the House. The Government will continue to ensure that the number of non-departmental public bodies is monitored and kept under control.

Civil Service (Political Activities)

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to her answer of 18 January 2000, Official Report, column 394W, if she will review the operation of the Servants of the Crown (Parliamentary, European Parliamentary and Northern Ireland Assembly

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Candidature) Order 1987, to allow for an extension of the Civil Service grades who can take part in all political activities. [106324]

Mr. Stringer: Consideration is being given to a possible amendment to the Servants of the Crown (Parliamentary, European Parliamentary, National Assembly for Wales, New Northern Ireland Assembly and Scottish Parliament Candidature) Order 1999 to allow Departments greater flexibility in the definition of the "politically free" group.

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