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Public Bodies (Overpayments)

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the practicability of introducing a 90-day limitation period for the recovery of overpaid sums by public bodies. [120353]

Mr. Timms: We have no plans to review the current rules on recovery of overpayments. The rules are designed to protect the public purse while also ensuring that the recipients of overpayments are treated fairly.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Fraud Savings

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 7 April 2000, Official Report, column 627W, on fraud, if he will list (a) the cost and duration of each initiative since 1 May 1997, (b) estimate the contribution in fraud savings each initiative has made and (c) estimate the fraud savings for each of the last three years for each benefit affected by such initiatives. [119216]

Mr. Rooker: The information is in the table. I refer my right hon. Friend to the written answer on savings I gave on 7 April 2000, Official Report, column 627W.

2 May 2000 : Column: 33W

Initiatives started on or after May 1997--Benefits Agency (BA)

Initiative/project	Cost (£ million)	Start date	End date
AQLAD (ABR/QST)	0.2	April 1999	Continuing
ABR	16.24	September 1997	Continuing
BA/CSA	1.6	1997	Continuing
BA/LA Liaison	1.0	1997	Continuing
Card Fraud Investigation	0.04	1997	February 1999--Cancellation of the payment by card process
Child Benefit Initiatives	2.4	1997	Continuing
Closer Working with East of Scotland	0.1	April 1999	Continuing
FAMC London Project	0.23	1997	October 1999--Migrated to IR
Habitual Residency Test	0.3	July 1999	November 1999--Recommendation for full implementation across the Agency
Housing Benefit Matching Service	2.35	1997	April 1999--Now part of BA core
IS/JSA Premiums	0.04	July 1999	Continuing
JSA Initiatives	0.02	April 1999	Fixes implemented
NCA/TR Central Team costs	2.5	1997	April 1999--Now a core activity
NCA/TR Training	0.4	1997	April 1999--Now a core activity
Operation Rattle	0.18	1997	Continuing--As a Child Benefit initiative
Overpayment of Legal Aid	0.22	September 1999	Continuing
Potential Debt	0.11	1997	August 1999--Continuing as the Strategic Debt solution
PPE measurement	0.79	1997	April 1999--Contributed to the performance indicators
Production of regs 113 by electronic media	0.02	July 1999	Continuing
Professionalism in Security	2.88	July 1998	Continuing
Programme Expenditure Analysis	0.16	April 1999	Continuing
Risk management	1.46	1997	Continuing
RMS	0.42	1997	31 March 1998--Now part of core
SAST	0.10	1997	Continuing
Search by address enhancements	0.13	1997	Continuing
Securing Family Credit	1.23	1997	October 1999--Migrated to IR
Security Projects Group	0.27	1997	April 1999--Transferred into core MIDAS function
Social Fund--off Benefit recovery	0.22	August 1999	Continuing
Chilterns Secure Payments Initiative	0.74	May 1997	Continuing
National Fraud database	0.30	June 1999	Continuing
Gateways	0.52	Oct 1998	March 2000--Migration papers under development
Payroll Cleanse	0.82	April 1998	April 2000--Migrated into core
Customer Account Security (Operational)	0.85	October 1998	Continuing
Construction Industry Scheme	0.36	May 1998	March 2000--Migrated into core
National Intelligence Unit	0.51	October 1998	Continuing
Controlled Risk Self Assessment	0.06	April 1999	March 2000--Now operating Certificate of Conformance
Fraud and Security Strategy	1.5	April 1999	Continuing
LA Verification Framework	34.50	March 1998	Continuing
Weekly Benefit savings	0.002	12 January 2000	Continuing
Electronic Transfer of Data	0.83	August 1999	Continuing
Remote Access Terminals	7.00	August 1998	Continuing
LA Prosecution Pilot, England and Wales	0.04	November 1998	Continuing
Scampion	0.09	February 1999	Continuing
National Housing Benefit Accuracy Review	2.0	April 1997	October 1998--Findings published by GSS
Large Scale Local Review project	2.0	April 1997	Continuing

2 May 2000 : Column: 35W

2 May 2000 : Column: 35W

Child Support Agency

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what budget the CSA allocates towards welfare assessment; in which of the last six years there has been an underspend; and how much. [119570]

Angela Eagle: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Ms Oona King, dated 2 May 2000:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency.
You ask about the Agency's budget allocation towards welfare assessments and I have taken the term 'welfare assessment' to mean child maintenance assessments. Unfortunately the information you require is not available.
The main role of the Agency is the accurate assessment and collection of child support maintenance and we aim to do this in the most efficient and cost effective way and to ensure that children receive the financial support to which they are entitled.
The Agency is funded on outputs that reflect our targets and focus on customer service. The Secretary of State requires the Agency to live within its allocation of cash resources and this has been

2 May 2000 : Column: 36W

achieved. In addition, over the past three years the Agency has improved overall efficiency by 48 per cent. and expects to exceed this figure by 1999-2000.
I hope this is helpful.

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the cost of running the Child Support Agency in each year since its establishment; and how much money was recovered in each year from absent parents. [119765]

Angela Eagle: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Gerald Howarth, dated 2 May 2000:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency.
You asked for details of the cost of running the CSA since its establishment. Details of running cost expenditure are summarised in the attached annex. These figures are based on the Appropriation Account for the Administration and Miscellaneous Services Vote (Vote 3) for each year.
You also asked for details of maintenance recovered in each year from non-resident parents. Details of the amount of maintenance collected and arranged are also summarised in the annex. These figures take into account maintenance collected from non-resident

2 May 2000 : Column: 37W

parents and maintenance assessed by the Agency but paid directly by the non-resident parent to the parent with care. You will see that we have been unable to provide figures for 1993/94 and 1994/95. This was because in those years the focus of the Secretary of State's targets was upon annual benefit savings and the total amount of maintenance collected and arranged was not then a target.

CSA running costs (from inception)£ million

Financial year	Gross amount	Net of VAT	Collected and arranged
1993-94	104	--	--
1994-95	169	--	--
1995-96	180	--	301
1996-97	205	203	400
1997-98	209	208	574
1998-99	201	--	661

Notes:

1. All figures include an element for repayment to DHSS Northern Ireland in respect of Belfast CSAC.

2. Figures for 1996-97 and 1997-98--in accordance with HM Treasury instructions information was reported in the Appropriation Account net of VAT but for information both gross (which compare year on year) and net figures have been provided.

Civil Servants (Relocation)

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which relocation companies his Department uses when relocating civil servants. [119857]

Mr. Rooker: This Department has, since June 1998, had a three year contract with Cendant Relocation UK Limited to provide a homesale service to employees. When a transfer attracting relocation expenses has been agreed it is the officer's decision to use the homesale service or try to sell their properties themselves.

Inter-ministerial Group on Countering Fraud

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) of 17 April 2000, Official Report, column 403W, on the Inter-ministerial Group for Older People, if he will publish the same information for the Inter-ministerial Group on Countering Fraud. [120243]

Mr. Rooker: The membership of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Welfare Fraud is as follows:

The right hon. Jeff Rooker--Minister of State, Department of Social Security

Nick Raynsford--Minister of State, Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions

The right hon. Tessa Jowell--Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment

The right hon. Richard Caborn--Minister of State, Department for Trade and Industry

Mike O'Brien--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department

Lord Hunt--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health

David Lock--Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department

Dawn Primarolo--Paymaster General, Her Majesty's Treasury

Brian Wilson--Minister of State, Scotland Office

David Hanson--Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales.

2 May 2000 : Column: 38W

The Group's remit was set out in the Green Paper "Beating fraud is everyone's business" published in July 1998.

We do not routinely reveal dates of meetings or the content of discussion between groups of Ministers as this could inhibit the necessary free and frank exchange of views within Government. However, we will do so where such an exchange of views would not be inhibited.

I refer my right hon. Friend to my Written Answer on 17 April 2000, Official Report, columns 403-04W.

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