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16 Jan 2006 : Column 1033W—continued
WORK AND PENSIONS
Benefit Fraud
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of new claims for (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) income support and (c) incapacity benefit were determined to be fraudulent in Wales in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [39472]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will estimate (a) how many instances of fraud there have been in each of the last five years that have arisen as a result of sending information to someone who has (i) died and (ii) moved house and (b) the resultant cost to his Department; [39888]
(2) if he will estimate (a) how many instances of fraud there have been in each of the last five years involving those who are falsely claiming pension credit for someone who has (i) died and (ii) moved house and (b) the resultant cost to his Department; [39890]
(3) if he will estimate how much correspondence was addressed by his Department to people who have (a) died and (b) moved house in each of the last five years. [39891]
Mr. Plaskitt:
The information requested is not held and no estimate is available of the volume, value and cost of fraud linked to claims of persons who have died or moved house.
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Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate (a) how many instances of fraud there have been in each of the last five years involving those who are falsely claiming housing benefit for someone who has (i) died and (ii) moved house and (b) the resultant cost to his Department. [39889]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is not held and no estimate is available of the volume, value and cost of fraud linked to claims of persons who have died or moved house.
Benefit Payments
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of telephone calls to HM Revenue and Customs for the pension credit in Wales went unanswered in each year since the pension credit system began; and if he will make a statement. [39558]
Mr. Timms: Pension credit is administered by The Pension Service and tax credits by HM Revenue and Customs.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) all pensioners and (b) eligible pensioners received the pension credit in Wales in each year since the system began; and if he will make a statement. [39560]
Mr. Timms: The available information is in the following tables:
| Household recipients | Individual beneficiaries | |
|---|---|---|
| May 2005 | 158,300 | 195,100 |
| May 2004 | 145,900 | 179,100 |
| November 2003 | 121,900 | 147,600 |
Notes:
1.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2.Pension credit (PC) replaced minimum income guarantee (MIG) on 6 October 2003. Existing MIG recipients were automatically converted onto pension credit on that date (assuming they still met the eligibility criteria).
3.The latest available population figures from ONS are mid year 2004.
4.Pension credit data are from the new WPLS and are taken as at 30 November 2003 and 31 May 2004, 2005.
5.Couples may include partners who are aged less than 60.
6.The pensioner population is defined as all males and females aged 60+.
7.Household recipients are those people who claim PC either on behalf of themselves only or on behalf of a household. This number is equal to the number of households in receipt of PC. The number of beneficiaries is the claimants plus their partners.
Source:
Pension Credit Data: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data.
Mid year population estimates: ONS, Population Estimates Unit.
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Latest estimates of the number of pensioners entitled to but not receiving the main income-related benefits relate to financial year 2002–03 and predate the introduction of pension credit. Estimates for minimum income guarantee—the predecessor to pension credit—can be found in the DWP report entitled Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2002–2003". Copies of the publication are available in the Library.
Estimates of pension credit will be published in early 2006; this publication will include the first six months of pension credit. Estimates for the full year 2004–05 are expected to be published in May 2006. Information is not available below a national level.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time was from receipt of an (a) incapacity benefits, (b) jobseeker's allowance, (c) income support, (d) disability living allowance and (e) pension credit claim to payment of the benefit to the claimant in Wales in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [39561]
Mr. Plaskitt: The available information is in the following tables.
Notes:
1.Figures are only available from April 2002 when Jobcentre Plus came into being, replacing the former Employment Service and parts of the Benefits Agency.
2.Clearance times are measured up to the date of decision and referral for payment. The payment will be issued on the appropriate pay-day.
Notes:
1.Each year runs from April to the following March, except for the current year where the YTD figure is up to and including 30 November 2005.
2.Up to 2001–02 the target was known as 'X percentage into Ydays' but since 2002–03 it has been expressed as an Actual Average Clearance Time.
3.The target and YTD figure only relates to clearance times and not to payment of benefit. Although an assumption is made that payment will be authorised at the same time as the case is cleared, in a favourable award, there will always be exceptions to this.
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Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over). The vast majority of people who were previously in receipt of the minimum income guarantee transferred to pension credit in October 2003.
Clearance time data for pension credit is not available in the format requested. When The Pension Service was introduced the agency was organised into Government Office Regions. As The Pension Service caseload is managed by Pension Centre, it is not possible to trace clearance times to claims originating in Wales.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money has been spent in each of the last five years on sending information to incorrect addresses for those in receipt of benefits; and what the estimate is of the amount of money fraudulently claimed as a result. [39885]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department uses an automatic indicator that someone in receipt of benefit has (a) died and (b) moved house. [39886]
Mr. Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions uses automatic indicators to 'broadcast' to all its benefit systems changes of circumstances where someone in receipt of benefit has died or has moved house.
When a person dies, the Department is notified of the death by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales, the General Registrar's Office for Scotland or the General Registrar's Office for Northern Ireland. This data is transmitted to a central point in DWP. It is recorded on the Departmental Central Index (DCI) and forwarded automatically to all benefit systems including the jobseeker's allowance payment system and the pension strategy computer system. Once the notification is received, payment of benefit will automatically be suspended on systems such as the pension strategy computer system and the disability living allowance/attendance allowance computer system. On other systems, such as the income support computer system and the jobseeker's allowance payment system staff will be notified of the need to take action on the cases affected.
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When the Department is notified that someone has moved house, the data are automatically sent to the relevant benefit systems. This alerts staff to take the necessary action to update addresses and, where appropriate, notify the relevant local authority for housing benefit and council tax benefit purposes. A process is also in place where local authorities can notify DWP when a person in receipt of benefit has moved house and when this is received at a central point, automatic indicators are broadcast to other benefit systems.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department traces an individual in receipt of benefit for whom it has an incorrect address. [39887]
Mr. Plaskitt: I refer my right hon. Friend to the written answer I gave on 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 80W.
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