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Housing Benefit

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities collect accurate and verifiable information to meet the reporting requirements of the housing benefit best value performance indicators numbers 176-180 for 2000-01. [109191]

Angela Eagle: Best value performance indicators will from this April be the main yardstick against which local authorities' performance is judged. Authorities are required to set out each year in published best value performance plans details of past performance against the indicators and challenging targets for future improved performance. These plans and the performance information they contain are subject to statutory audit.

Auditors are responsible for ensuring that authorities have adequate systems in place for producing accurate performance data. In addition, the Department has made arrangements for performance data to be reported periodically by authorities as part of the normal provision of housing benefit management information.

Guidance on the Housing Benefit indicators and revised statistical forms were issued by the Department to all authorities in December last year. The Benefit Fraud

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Inspectorate will also test the robustness of local authority performance data both as part of its on-going cycle of inspections of housing benefit administration and in its role as a best value inspectorate.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimates he has made of the cost of making the disability living allowance mobility component available to children aged two and under. [109385]

Mr. Bayley: The mobility component of Disability Living Allowance is payable at two rates. The higher rate is payable to people who are unable or virtually unable to walk and the lower rate is paid to people who need guidance and supervision out of doors on unfamiliar routes.

Currently both components are payable to children from the age of five years. From April 2001, we are extending the higher rate of the mobility component to severely disabled children aged three and four years old in recognition of the fact that many children are able to walk reasonable distances unaided by the age of three years.

Estimating the cost of extending either component to children aged two and under would not produce a meaningful result. This is because all children of this age have limited walking ability and will require constant guidance and supervision whilst out of doors.

Minimum Pension Guarantee

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects (1) the review of the minimum funding requirement to reach a conclusion; [109349]

Mr. Rooker: The review of the minimum funding requirement is being carried out by the Faculty and Institute of Actuaries in partnership with the Department of Social Security. It is due to report in spring this year. We will then consider what changes should be made. There will be full consultation with the pensions industry on any changes.

Housing Benefit Fraud

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which local authorities (a) did not submit information to his Department about fraudulent Housing Benefit cases for input into the Housing Benefit Management System in 1997-98, (b) have not installed the verification framework and (c) do not use non-redirection of benefit post powers. [107454]

Angela Eagle [holding answer 31 January 2000]: The local authorities (LAs) in the following list did not submit any information regarding fraudulent Housing Benefit cases in Great Britain for the period 1997-98 as outlined in the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit management information system guide.

10 Feb 2000 : Column: 267W



    Glasgow


    Hertsmere


    Highland


    Leominster


    Mendip


    Mid Sussex


    Midlothian


    Mole Valley


    Monmouthshire


    Neath Port Talbot


    Newport


    North Ayrshire


    North Cornwall


    North Warwickshire


    North Wiltshire


    Norwich


    Peterborough


    Powys


    Richmondshire


    Ryedale


    Salisbury


    Scottish Borders


    Slough


    South Norfolk


    Tamworth


    Torfaen


    Trafford


    Uttlesford


    Waverley


    West Dumbartonshire


    West Lothian


    Westminster


    Wigan


    Wokingham

We have made it clear to all LAs that an additional £100 million was available to enable them all to implement fully the Verification Framework (VF) by March 2001. At 7 February 2000, 237 authorities have already been funded or accepted the offer of funds to implement fully the VF and we are processing a further seven recent applications for funding. Of the remaining authorities, some have started to implement parts of the VF or are operating their own local versions and others have not yet informed us of their intentions to implement. It would be inaccurate to describe such authorities as not implementing the VF.

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The following list names those authorities that have either already been funded or have accepted a recent offer of funds or have submitted an application for funding which is currently being processed.



    Bradford


    Braintree


    Breckland


    Bridgend


    Bristol


    Broadland


    Bromsgrove


    Broxbourne


    Burnley


    Cambridge


    Canterbury


    Carlisle


    Carrick


    Castle Point


    Cheltenham


    Chester


    Chester-le-Street


    Chesterfield


    Chichester


    Chiltern


    Chorley


    Clackmannanshire


    Colchester


    Congleton


    Conwy


    Costwold


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    East Northampton


    East Riding of Yorkshire


    East Staffordshire


    Eastbourne


    Eastleigh


    Eden


    Ellesmere Port


    Enfield (LB)


    Epping Forest


    Epsom and Ewell


    Erewash


    Exeter


    Falkirk


    Fareham


    Gateshead


    Gedling


    Gosport


    Gravesham


    Great Yarmouth


    Greenwich (LB)


    Guildford


    Gwynedd


    Hackney (LB)


    Halton


    Harborough


    Haringey (LB)


    Harrow (LB)


    Hart


    Hartlepool


    Herefordshire


    High Peak


    Horsham


    Hounslow (LB)


    Huntingdon


    Hyndburn


    Inverclyde


    Ipswich


    Isle of Wight


    Islington (LB)


    Kennet


    Kensington and Chelsea


10 Feb 2000 : Column: 270W


    North Somerset


    North Warwickshire


    North Wiltshire


    Norwich


    Nottingham


    Nuneaton


    Oadby and Wigston


    Oldham


    Oswestry


    Oxford


    Penwith


    Peterborough


    Plymouth


    Poole


    Portsmouth


    Purbeck


    Reading


    Redbridge (LB)


    Redcar and Cleveland


    Reigate and Banstead


    Renfrewshire


    Restormel


    Rhondda, Cynon, Taff


    Ribble Valley


    Richmond upon Thames


    Richmondshire DC


    Rochdale


    Rother


    Rugby


    Runnymede


    Rushcliffe


    Ryedale


    Salisbury


    Scarborough BC


    Sedgefield


    Sevenoaks


    Sheffield


    Shepway


    Slough


    South Ayrshire


    South Bucks


10 Feb 2000 : Column: 271W


    Tewkesbury


    Thurrock


    Tonbridge and Malling


    Torbay


    Torridge


    Trafford


    Tunbridge Wells


    Vale of White Horse


    Wandsworth (LB)


    Waveney


    Wear Valley


    Wellingborough


    Welwyn Hatfield


    West Dorset


    West Lancashire


    West Oxfordshire


    West Wiltshire


    Weymouth and Portland


    Wigan


    Winchester


    Windsor and Maidenhead


    Wirral


    Woking


    Wokingham


    Wolverhampton


    Worthing


    Wychavon


    Wycombe


    Wyre

The Royal Mail has advised that as at the end of January the 248 local authorities in the following list have implemented in full the Royal Mail "do not redirect" service. Of the remaining 161 authorities, a number are preparing to implement the service and some are operating their own local arrangements. It would be inaccurate to describe such authorities as not operating "non-redirection" of post. However, information on which authorities fall into these categories could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

10 Feb 2000 : Column: 272W



    Cardiff


    Carmarthenshire


    Castle Morpeth


    Cheltenham


    Cherwell


    Chester


    Chichcester


    Chiltern


    Chorley


    Christchurch


    City and County of Swansea


    City of London


    Clackmannanshire


    Congleton


10 Feb 2000 : Column: 273W


    Hambleton


    Hammersmith and Fulham


    Harlow


    Harrogate


    Harrow


    Hart


    Hartlepool


    Hastings


    Herefordshire


    Hertsmere


    High Peak


    Hillingdon


    Hounslow


    Ipswich


    Kennet


    Kerrier


    Kingston Upon Hull


    Kirklees


    Lancaster


    Lewes


10 Feb 2000 : Column: 274W


    Preston


    Purbeck


    Reading


    Redcar and Cleveland


    Redditch


    Renfrewshire


    Restormel


    Rhondda Cynon Taff


    Ribble Valley


    Richmond upon Thames


    Richmondshire


    Rochdale


    Rochford


    Rossendale


    Rother


    Rotherham


    Windsor and Maidenhead


    Runnymede


    Rushcliffe


    Rushmoor


    Rutland


    Ryedale


    Salisbury


    Scarborough


    Scottish Borders


    Sedgefield


    Sedgemoor


    Selby


    Sevenoaks


    Shepway


    Shetland Islands


    Shrewsbury and Atcham


    Slough


    Solihull


    South Buckinghamshire


    South Cambridgeshire


    South Holland


10 Feb 2000 : Column: 275W


    Warrington


    Warwick


    Waveney


    Waverley


    Wealden


    West Berkshire


    West Lancashire


    West Oxfordshire


    West Wiltshire


    Western Isles


    Wigan


    Winchester


    Wirral


    Woking


    Wokingham


    Wrexham


    Wychavon


    Wyre


    York

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