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National Insurance Number Fraud

Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there is now in place a system to prevent the obtaining or holding of a National Insurance number by persons not entitled to one.[HL240]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): We are continuing to tackle the issue of National Insurance number (NINO) fraud in a number of ways. There are specific procedures aimed at preventing existing numbers from being used fraudulently and any application for a NINO is rigorously checked. Section 19 of the Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997 provides a requirement for all benefit applicants to provide sufficient information or evidence of identity, so that the correct NINO for the claimant and anyone else included in the claim can be traced and confirmed as appropriate to them.

Disability Benefits: Expenditure

Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the expenditure on each social security benefit for disabled people in each year from 1978-79 to 1996-97 at 1996-97 prices; and what amount and proportion of the increased expenditure was due to (a) the increase in real value of each benefit (b) the increase in the number of beneficiaries; and (c) other factors.[HL212]

4 Feb 1998 : Column WA122

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.

The expenditure on each social security benefit for disabled people in each year from 1978-9 to 1996-97 (in 96/97 prices) is shown in the attached Table 1.

The majority of the increase in expenditure on the main disability benefits is accounted for by caseload growth, as Table 2 illustrates.

Table 1: Expenditure on disability benefits from 1978-79 to 1996-97 (1996-97 prices)

						£ million
	AA	ICA	SDA	MA	DLA	DWA
1978-79	517	12	212	145	0	0
1979-80	530	11	224	208	0	0
1980-81	579	11	241	278	0	0
1981-82	670	12	264	351	0	0
1982-83	764	15	292	447	0	0
1983-84	897	18	330	551	0	0
1984-85	994	19	407	614	0	0
1985-86	1,122	21	435	690	0	0
1986-87	1,237	165	452	816	0	0
1987-88	1,352	277	445	898	0	0
1988-89	1,418	245	447	954	0	0
1989-90	1,530	242	457	1,016	0	0
1990-91	1,690	254	524	1,080	0	0
1991-92	1,961	327	685	1,220	0	0
1992-93	1,714	381	706	75	2,177	3
1993-94	1,925	474	754	0	2,972	8
1994-95	2,073	556	819	0	3,299	12
1995-96	2,255	634	843	0	3,907	20
1996-97	2,421	768	893	0	4,361	25

Key:

AA = Attendance Allowance, ICA = Invalid Care Allowance,

SDA = Severe Disablement Allowance, MA = Mobility Allowance, DLA = Disability Living Allowance, DWA = Disability Working

Allowance.

Source:

1997 DSS Departmental Report and earlier equivalent publications.

Notes:

1. The definition of disability benefit is consistent with the departmental report published in March 1997.

2. Invalid Care Allowance is included, although it is not itself paid to disabled people. It is a benefit that is paid to those caring for certain categories of disabled people.

Table 2: Percentage growth in expenditure (real terms 96/97 prices) and the percentage growth in caseload for certain major disability benefits

Benefit in 1978/79	Equivalent benefit in 1996/97	Percentage growth in expenditure (real terms 96/97 prices)	Percentage growth in caseload
Mobility Allowance	Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Higher Rate Mobility Component	1410 per cent.	1140 per cent.
Attendance Allowance (AA)	AA and DLA Higher or Middle Rate Care Component	700 per cent.	650 per cent.
Invalid Care Allowance (ICA)	ICA	6300 per cent.	5900 per cent.

Sources:

1. Social Security statistics various years, Analytical Services Division 1 Quarterly publications.

2. 1997 DSS Departmental Report and earlier equivalent publications.

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