§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she is satisfied that, with the abolition of national insurance cards, there are adequate safeguards to prevent those formerly unemployed from continuing to draw unemployment benefit once they have found employment; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. O'MalleyThe system under which an employed person had to lodge his national insurance card with his employer did have some value in preventing certain kinds of concealed employment fraud, though its value can easily be overstated. Under the new arrangements, inspectors on their regular visits to employers now carry out checks to discover whether an employee may also be claiming benefit as an unemployed person and, when circumstances justify it, special drives are directed to identifying concealed employment in particular areas and occupations.