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Benefit Fraud
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were involved in fraudulent benefit claims which resulted in the overpayment of £135 million for 1999-2000; how many such benefit claimants received no further benefit from his Department; and if he will make a statement. [125438]
Mr. Rooker: The "overpayment" figure (or value of losses) for 1999-2000 is currently being collated. It will appear in the Losses Statement of the Vote 1 Appropriation Account due to be signed by the Benefits Agency Chief Executive in August.
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The 1998-99 Statement showed losses of £136 million. In addition to overpayments caused by fraudulent benefit claims, this amount includes losses due to other factors such as the writing off of old debts, the miscalculation of entitlement in disability benefits, the change in the payment of hospital in-patients and the duplication of payments of Jobseeker's Allowance by automated credit transfer.
The number of people involved in fraudulent benefit claims, which formed part of the total losses, is not available.
The number of benefit claimants who received no further benefit is not available, as the Benefits Agency does not match past fraudulent claims with new claims.
Means-tested Benefits
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to review the imputed rate of return on savings used in calculating entitlement to means-tested benefits. [124939]
Mr. Bayley: The system of tariff income in the income-related benefits is not based on any imputed rate of return. The system provides a straightforward method of calculating the weekly contribution which people with capital in excess of the lower limit are expected to make from those resources to help meet their normal living expenses. Because no tariff applies to savings below the lower limit, the rule is most generous to people with relatively low savings; for example, in cases where the lower limit is £3,000 the annual tariff income for a person with savings between £3,000 and £3,250 would equate to just 1.6 per cent. of their savings.
The capital rules are kept under regular review.
"Listening to Older People"
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what recent representations he has received on his document, "Listening to Older People". [124281]
Mr. Rooker: During 1999 the Government led a programme of listening to older people events across the UK. The events were put on by a partnership between the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People, the UK Secretariat for the International Year of Older Persons and mainly voluntary sector organisations working with older people.
On 17 May the Government published three documents relating to this programme of listening events. "Life begins at 50: the 1999 Listening Events"; a newsletter style account of last year's regional programme of events. "Building a Better Society for Older People: Report on the Listening Events to the Inter-Ministerial Group for Older People"; a research report on the regional events by Annette Boaz and Carol Hayden, Warwick Business School, the University of Warwick. "Life begins at 50--A Better Society for Older People"; a report setting out the key points raised by older people during the 1999 listening events, the action we have already taken to address them, and the action we will take in the future.
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No representations have been received on these documents.
Pensions Entitlement
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people who have reached pensionable age within the last two years have not yet been paid their full entitlement of additional pension; [125915]
- (2) how many people are currently employed in carrying out manual calculations of the entitlements to additional pension of those who have already retired; [125917]
(3) how many manual calculations of entitlements to additional pension were carried out in each of the last three months. [125918]
Mr. Rooker: It is estimated that in the last two years the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS) computer will not have carried out a calculation of the additional pension in some 120,000 cases. The number of these who have not yet been paid their full entitlement to additional pension is not known, but because the facility for Benefit Agency offices to apply for a clerical calculation has been available, the number will be in the minority.
There is a team of 10.5 people in the Benefits Agency responsible for clerical calculations of additional pension.
The number of clerical calculations carried out in March was 5,789; in April it was 588; and in May it was 442. The significant reduction in April and May was planned. The processes that had prevented the NIRS2 computer calculating additional pension had become available and it was part of a strategy to accommodate the transition from clerical to computer calculations.
Minimum Income Guarantee
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners are being targeted as possible qualifiers for the minimum income guarantee in each of the age groups (a) 60 to 65, (b) 65 to 70, (c) 70 to 75, (d) 75 to 80, (e) 80 to 85, (f) 85 to 90 and (g) over 90 years old. [118007]
Mr. Rooker [pursuant to his reply, 12 April 2000, c. 167W]: The information requested is in the table.
| Age band | Total count | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60-64 | 156,542 | 0 | 156,542 |
| 65-69 | 245,887 | 108,088 | 137,799 |
| 70-74 | 298,589 | 117,065 | 181,524 |
| 75-79 | 436,627 | 146,415 | 290,212 |
| 80-84 | 509,017 | 206,772 | 302,245 |
| 85-89 | 360,645 | 136,119 | 224,526 |
| 90+ | 159,881 | 45,505 | 114,376 |
| Total | 2,167,188 | 759,964 | 1,407,224 |
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Assisted Area Status
Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he intends to submit a new proposal for assisted area status for North Staffordshire. [125353]
Mr. Byers [holding answer 9 June 2000]: Details of the revised assisted area proposals, which included North Staffordshire were published on 10 April 2000.
Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from the Office of Commissioner Monti in respect of assisted area status for North Staffordshire. [125350]
Mr. Byers [holding answer 9 June 2000]: None.
Textile Task Force
Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies in the North East have benefited from the Textile Taskforce; how much money has been allocated from the Task Force Fund; and what financial resources are available to it. [125383]
Mr. Alan Johnson: The most recent information available shows that 48 companies have contacted the North East Textiles Taskforce, resulting in 29 initial visits being made. The range of support already provided has included help towards a sports/leisurewear event, trade shows, marketing, technical training and developing business system and process analysis.
When the Taskforce was set up it was allocated funding totalling £773,000. Total spend by the Taskforce up to the end of May 2000 was £140,000.
Limited Liability Partnerships Bill
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has for the registering of partnership agreements and the publication of partnership accounts under the provisions of the Limited Liability Partnerships Bill [Lords]; and what role he plans for Companies House in respect of these new entities. [125428]
Dr. Howells: There will be no requirement for limited liability partnerships to register an agreement between members. The Government concluded, after wide consultation and taking account of the views of the Trade and Industry Committee, that to impose a requirement on LLPs to register a member's agreement would be of little value unless regulations determined exactly what should be contained in the agreement, and that would be almost impossible to define. Moreover, it would be impracticable for Companies House to take a view on every individual agreement to ensure agreements met the statutory criteria before allowing an LLP to register.
More detail of the Government's decision on this matter is set out in the Government Observations on the Fourth Report from the Trade and Industry Committee (Session 1998-99) on the draft Limited Liability Partnership Act (HC 529).
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The LLP regulations will apply the accounts and audit provisions of the Companies Act 1985 with appropriate modifications to reflect the different capital structure of LLPs. They will require LLPs to disclose similar financial information to that required of companies in their annual accounts, those accounts being filed with Companies House where they will be open for inspection.
Companies House will be responsible for the registration and striking-off of LLPs, the registration of documents which must be filed under the LLP regulations and for enforcing compliance in line with requirements of the regulations. They will also provide information on LLPs to the public as they do for companies.
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whom his Department is consulting on the provisions of the Limited Liability Partnerships Bill [Lords]; and what replies he has received to date. [125702]
Dr. Howells: There has been extensive consultation on the basis of three detailed consultation documents published in February 1997, September 1998 and July 1999. For each consultation copies were sent to some 1,800 consultees, including business, trade associations, academics, potential clients and regulators and meetings were held by officials with interested representatives from each of these groups. Telephone and written requests for documents resulted in around 3,000-5,000 extra copies of each document being sent out. The documents were also made available to visitors to the LLP website at www.dti.gov.uk/cld/llpbill/index.htm from September 1998. Over 300 responses were received in total. The names of those who responded can be found in the Libraries of each House and the responses are publicly available. A further short consultation paper was published in February 2000 on a more limited circulation, but was also available on the LLP website.
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