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17 Sep 2007 : Column 2310W—continued

17 Sep 2007 : Column 2311W

Estimated customer error underpayments in 2005-06
£ million
Reason	Income support working age	Jobseeker’s allowance	Pension credi t
Earnings	2	0	1
Partner earnings	0	0	0
Capital	1	1	1
Dependants	1	0	0
Income	2	0	2
Partner	1	1	0
Identification	0	0	0
Address	0	0	0
Housing Costs	0	0	0
Other benefits	26	0	14
College	0	0	0
Hospitalisation	0	0	0
Maintenance Payments	3	0	0
Non-dependants	0	0	0
Prison stay	0	0	0
Other	11	0	1
Notes : 1. All the figures are estimates, derived from a random sample of benefit claims and are subject to sampling and other uncertainties. 2. All estimates have been rounded to the nearest £1 million. 3. Pension credit was introduced in October 2003 as a replacement for the minimum income guarantee (MIG). Estimates for 2003-04 are for MIG and pension credit combined. 4. The estimates presented for 2005-06 do not distinguish between full-time and part-time earnings.

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the amount of customer error and fraud overpayments were for (a) pension credit, (b) jobseeker’s allowance and (c) income support due to incorrect declaration of (i) full-time earnings, (ii) part-time earnings, (iii) partner earnings, (iv) capital, (v) dependants, (vi) income, (vii) a partner, (viii) identification, (ix) address, (x) housing costs, (xi) other benefits, (xii) college, (xiii) hospitalisation, (xiv) maintenance payments, (xv) non-dependants, (xvi) a prison stay and (xvii) other in each year since 1997. [147685]

Mr. Plaskitt: Information is not available for 1997-98 and 1999-2000. The available information is in the following tables.

17 Sep 2007 : Column 2312W

Estimated fraud and customer error overpayments in 1998-99
£ million
Estimated overpayments (reason)	Income support working age	Jobseeker’s allowance	Income support pensioners
Full-time earnings	123	179	3
Part-time earnings	19	6	1
Partner earnings	10	13	2
Capital	23	10	54
Dependants	31	4	1
Income	32	7	27
Partner	196	16	2
Address and identification	47	20	19
Housing costs and other benefits	22	3	7
Other	50	12	14

Estimated fraud and customer error overpayments i n 2000-01
£ million
Estimated overpayments (reason)	Income support working age	Jobseeker’s allowance	Income support pensioners
Full-time earnings	108	107	4
Part-time earnings	18	10	1
Partner earnings	10	10	3
Capital	19	11	55
Dependants	37	3	2
Income	44	5	19
Partner	164	18	1
Identification	2	1	0
Address	51	18	10
Housing costs	4	1	2
Other benefits	32	3	22
College	3	11	0
Other	50	21	43

Estimated fraud and customer error overpayments i n 2001-02
£ million
Estimated overpayments (reason)	Income support working age	Jobseeker’s allowance	Minimum income guarantee
Full-time earnings	86	78	8
Part-time earnings	21	5	1
Partner earnings	16	6	5
Capital	34	9	46
Dependants	40	5	2
Income	32	13	26
Partner	160	21	8
Identification	1	0	0
Address	41	23	8
Housing costs	1	0	2
Other benefits	31	4	13
College	2	1	0
Other	74	21	50

17 Sep 2007 : Column 2313W

Estimated fraud and customer error overpayments i n 2002-03
£ million
Estimated overpayments (reason)	Income support working age	Jobseeker’s allowance	Minimum income guarantee
Full-time earnings	71	68	0
Part-time earnings	25	3	1
Partner earnings	16	3	1
Capital	31	13	41
Dependants	56	6	2
Income	27	6	32
Partner	174	13	8
Identification	0	1	0
Address	49	16	5
Housing costs	0	1	1
Other benefits	26	3	9
College	4	1	0
Hospitalisation	0	0	3
Maintenance payments	16	1	0
Non-dependants	2	0	0
Prison stay	3	0	0
Other	33	8	25

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