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NORTHERN IRELAND
Youth Council
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Barry Gardiner): The 2002–03 accounts of the Youth Council for Northern Ireland were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 11 November 2004.
Human Rights Commission
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Mr. John Spellar): As directed under Paragraph 5(2) of Schedule 7 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the 5th annual report of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission will be laid before the House on 11 November 2004.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
One North-East
The Minister for Industry and the Regions (Jacqui Smith): I would like to inform members of the House that, as part of a rolling programme of appointments, I have decided to appoint five new members to One North-East. The new appointees will take up their positions on the 14 December 2004 and their names are set out below.
The new board members will replace members whose terms of office end in December this year and will bring experience from business, local authorities and the voluntary sector.
Decisions on the appointments have been made following open competition in accordance with the guidelines set down in the Commissioner for Public Appointments code of practice, and following consultation with key national and regional players.
East Midlands Development Agency
The Minister for Industry and the Regions (Jacqui Smith): I would like to inform Members of the House that, as part of a rolling programme of appointments, I have decided to appoint five new board members to the East Midlands Development Agency. The new appointees will take up their positions on the 14 December 2004 and their names are set out below.
The new board members will replace members whose terms of office end in December this year, and they will bring experiences from business and local authorities.
Decisions on the appointments have been made following open competition in accordance with the guidelines set down in the Commissioner for Public Appointments code of practice, and following consultation with key national and regional players.
TRANSPORT
GoSkills Funding
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Charlotte Atkins): I am pleased to announce that the Department for Transport (DfT) will be making a contribution towards the funding of GoSkills, the new sector skills council for passenger transport. The DfT funding, which amounts to £780,000 over three years, is particularly intended to reflect GoSkills1 input into skills and training initiatives for the taxi/private hire sector and the community and voluntary transport sector.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Eastbourne Borough Council (Benefit Fraud)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Chris Pond): On behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the benefit fraud inspectorate (BFI) inspection report on Eastbourne borough council was published today and copies of the report have been placed in the Library.
Following the housing Green Paper "Quality and Choice: A Decent Home for All", published in April 2000, the Department for Work and Pensions developed a performance framework for housing benefits. The performance standards for housing benefits allow local authorities to make a comprehensive self-assessment of whether they deliver benefit effectively and securely. They are the standards that the Department for Work and Pensions expects local authorities to aspire to and achieve in time.
In 2002–03, Eastbourne borough council administered some £31.8 million in housing benefits, about 52 per cent. of its gross revenue expenditure.
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In April 2004 BFI carried out a second inspection of Eastbourne borough council and found that many of the issues highlighted in the 1999 inspection were still outstanding. For example, claims verification was still weak in some areas, there was a lack of management assurance checking, comprehensive guidance for staff was not available and the management of counter-fraud activity was poor. The review of the entire overpayments process that BFI recommended in 1999 had not been carried out.
The report notes that performance in administering benefits does not meet key best value performance indicators, and management information is not analysed or used to manage processes or identify staff training requirements. Comprehensive policies relating to benefits are not in place and there has been no dedicated counter-fraud manager since August 2003, resulting in a lack of effective counter-fraud measures.
The council's high level commitment to provide an effective benefits service is not adequately reflected in its operational planning and staff objectives. The organisational structure has also contributed to a lack of direction and effective communication within the service.
The BFI reports that although the council has not reached standard in any of the seven performance standards, there are some areas of strength. There is support for the benefits service at a corporate level, and a new management structure that was put in place just before the on-site phase of the BFI inspection.
The report makes recommendations to help the council address weaknesses and to further improve the administration of housing benefit and council tax benefit, as well as counter-fraud activities.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the BFI's findings and recommendations.
Lambeth Council (Benefit Fraud)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Chris Pond): On behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the benefit fraud inspectorate (BFI) inspection report on the London borough of Lambeth was published today and copies of the report have been placed in the Library.
Following the housing Green Paper "Quality and Choice: A Decent Home for All", published in April 2000, the Department for Work and Pensions developed a performance framework for housing benefits. The performance standards for housing benefits allow local authorities to make a comprehensive self-assessment of whether they deliver benefit effectively and securely. They are the standards that the Department for Work and Pensions expects local authorities to aspire to and achieve in time.
In 2003–04, the London Borough of Lambeth administered some £114.9 million in housing benefits, about 10.37 per cent. of its gross revenue expenditure.
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In May 2004 BFI carried out a follow-up inspection on the London Borough of Lambeth assessing progress against the recommendations from the first inspection report published in 2001. The report notes that the council has not reached standard in any of the seven performance standards. There are some good practices in strategic areas, including a clear corporate vision, underpinned by policies and high level plans. Overpayment recovery has also improved and is supported by good procedural guidance.
However, the council's corporate commitment to provide an effective benefits service is not followed through into operational planning, staff objectives or local targets. The organisational structure does not support the effective delivery of benefits or effective communication. Performance in administering benefits remains poor, does not meet best value performance indicators and is hampered by the continuing backlog of work.
BFI reports that the counter-fraud policies have led to a number of successful sanctions and prosecutions but numbers of referrals from the benefits service are falling, management controls are inadequate and communications between benefits and investigation staff are poor.
The report makes recommendations to help the council address weaknesses and to further improve the administration of housing benefit and council tax benefit, as well as counter-fraud activities.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the BFI's findings and recommendations.
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