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17 Sep 2007 : Column 2320W—continued
No estimates are available for attendance allowance, winter fuel payments or statutory sick pay. The available estimates for other benefits are in the following tables. These estimates are consistent with the methodology used for those presented for 2003-04 onwards in the Department's resource accounts. For some benefits, estimates before 2003-04 will differ from figures published earlier due to improved assumptions and methodology.
| Estimates of fraud in carer's allowance | ||
| Percentage of overspend | Overpaid (£ million) | |
| Notes: 1. Carer's allowance is not reviewed regularly. These estimates are based on the assumption that the percentage of expenditure overpaid has remained constant since it was last reviewed in 1996. 2. Estimates are rounded to the nearest £10 million. The totals may appear different from the sum of the components due to this rounding. | ||
| Estimates of fraud in incapacity benefit | ||
| Percentage of overspend | Overpaid (£ million) | |
| Notes: 1. Fraud and error in incapacity benefit is not measured every year. The last full review was in 2000-01. As there has been no measurement in other years, it is assumed that the percentage level of fraud and customer error have remained constant. All of the fraud and customer error estimates are calculated by applying the percentage overpaid in 2000-01 to the annual expenditure on incapacity benefit. 2. As the measurement system is based on the examination of a sample of the incapacity benefit caseload, the estimates are subject to a degree of statistical uncertainty. 3. Estimates rounded to the nearest 0.1 per cent. or £10 million. The totals may appear different from the sum of the components due to this rounding. | ||
| Estimates of fraud in disability living allowance | ||
| Percentage of overspend | Overpaid (£ million) | |
| Notes: 1. DLA was last reviewed in 2005. Estimates for 2003-04 onwards, as presented in the Department's Resource Accounts are based on the assumption that the proportion of expenditure overpaid has not changed. 2. The 2004-05 DLA National Benefit Review identified cases where the change in customer's needs have been so gradual that it would be unreasonable to expect them to know at which point their entitlement to DLA might have changed. These cases do not result in a recoverable overpayment as we cannot quantify or define when the customer's change occurred. 3. Because legislation requires the Secretary of State to prove that entitlement to DLA is incorrect, rather than requiring the customer to inform us that their needs have changed, cases in this subcategory are legally correct. The difference between what claimants in these cases are receiving in DLA and what they would receive if their benefit was reassessed is estimated to be around £600 million a year. 4. Estimates rounded to the nearest 0.1 per cent. or £10 million. The totals may appear different from the sum of the components due to this rounding. | ||
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the initiatives taken by the Government since 1997 to tackle benefit fraud; and what the (a) cost of the initiative, (b) value of the fraud discovered and (c) number of prosecutions resulting from the initiative was in each case. [153052]
Mr. Plaskitt: It is not possible to separate the total cost of the fraud reduction elements of the Department’s work. The Department’s overall aim is to have a benefit system which is accurate from first claim to final payment. This means safeguarding the benefit system from loss due to fraud is integral to the work of staff in benefits administration as well as those working specifically on fraud.
Since 1997, the Department has developed and implemented a comprehensive strategy for reducing fraud. On 13 October 2005, the Government published their strategy paper “Reducing Fraud in the Benefit System - Achievements and Ambitions”. Fraud is now at its lowest ever recorded; figures for 2005-06 show fraud estimated to be £0.7 billion (0.6 per cent. of benefit spend) around two thirds lower than estimated for 2000-01 (£2 billion, 2 per cent. of benefit spend).
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who were investigated for benefit fraud were subsequently (a) cautioned and (b) prosecuted and convicted in each year since 1997; and how many of those convicted received (i) a custodial sentence, (ii) a community sentence and (iii) a discharge in each year. [153054]
Mr. Plaskitt: Information is not available before 1999-2000. The available information is in the following tables.
| Number of people investigated for benefit fraud who were subsequently cautioned or convicted | ||||||||
| 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Number of DWP fraud convictions that led to custodial sentences, community sentences and discharges | ||||||||
| 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Notes: 1. Figures include general matching service and instrument of payment cases. 2. Figures exclude organised fraud cases. Source DWP Fraud Information by Sector computer system. | ||||||||
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total value of benefit fraud was in respect of cases investigated resulting in (a) cautions and (b) prosecutions in each year since 1997; and what those values were broken down by benefit. [153055]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit fraud were detected
in each year since 1997; and how many successful prosecutions were brought in each year. [153056]
Mr. Plaskitt: Figures for detected fraud by local authorities are not available. The available information is in the following table:
| Successful Prosecutions by Local Authorities for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Fraud | |
| Number | |
| Source: From 2001-02 onwards the numbers of prosecutions are taken from subsidy claim forms. Prior to this the numbers are taken from management information returns. | |
Social Security Benefits: ICT
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes (a) have been made and (b) are planned to IT systems in order to enable the delivery of the employment and support allowance. [150851]
Caroline Flint: No changes have made to IT systems to enable the Delivery of employment and support allowance at this stage.
The Employment and Support Allowance IS/IT Feasibility Study recommended a technical solution for the employment and support allowance which builds on existing successful IS/IT developments within DWP. This is mainly made up of a:
Siebel front-end based on the re-use of Pensions Transformation Project Customer Account Management.
New legacy mainframe-based service built on an extension of jobseeker’s allowance payment system for payment and award functionality.
This is the bulk of the IS/IT change required for employment and support allowance (ESA) introduction.
However, like any major welfare reform the ESA programme will have wide-ranging impacts throughout DWP, other Government Departments and local authorities. To date, the programme has identified and engaged a range of internal and external stakeholders and have IS/IT plans at various stages of maturity.
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