§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to introduce new ways of detecting and combating Disability Living Allowance fraud following the abolition of the Benefit Integrity Project. [67760]
§ Mr. BayleyThe Benefit Integrity Project (BIP) gathered up to date information about the care and mobility needs of disabled people with the highest awards of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), to check that they were receiving the right amount of DLA. The Benefit Integrity Project will end on 31 March 1999, to be replaced by a new and fairer system. No new cases will be selected for the project after this date. Cases where action has already started will continue to be processed through the remaining stages of adjudication, including review and appeal, in the normal way.
We are determined to ensure that people are receiving the correct amount of benefit. But there is currently no automatic review mechanism within DLA. Therefore, from April a new system of periodic review will be introduced. It will incorporate the lessons already learned and will be continually evaluated and refined as it develops. Staff involved in the new processes will receive full training before commencing this new work.
We are already talking to disability groups about ways to ensure the new system is sensitive to people's circumstances, and that it is both fair and effective.