HL Deb 16 July 1996 vol 574 cc54-5WA
Lord Marlesford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to tighten the procedures for the issue of national insurance numbers to ensure that there is a reduction in the total of persons who for fraudulent purposes hold more than one number.

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish

A Departmental National Insurance Number (NINO) Security Project has been set up, jointly managed by Contributions Agency (CA) and (BA), to work on tightening the security of the NINO system with a view to reducing the opportunity for identity fraud and misuse of NINOs.

A range of techniques has been introduced, and these are being further developed, including:

  • the introduction of stricter procedures for the allocations of NINOs and the registration of national insurance accounts;
  • improvements in prevention and detection techniques such as data matching, exchange of information and use of information technology to record stolen birth certificates;
  • the use of specialist investigation teams nationwide, including a greater emphasis on the investigation of employers;
  • specialised training for staff involved in NINO allocation and investigation of identity fraud;
  • improvements in the integrity of information held on the agencies' computer systems.