§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to note 9, page 25 of the report by the Government Actuary on the drafts of the Social Security Benefits Uprating Order 2004 (Cm 6117), how much the one-off payment to the Welfare Modernisation Fund was; and if he will make a statement. [154830]
§ Mr. BrowneThe report by the Government Actuary on the drafts of the Social Security Benefits Uprating Order 2004 (Cm 6117) refers to recoveries by the Department for Work and Pensions from the National Insurance Fund for the administrative cost of national insurance benefits. These costs include expenditure on modernising the Department's infrastructure, provided by the Welfare Modernisation Fund. The amount secured by the Department through the spending review for the Welfare Modernisation Fund in 2003–04 was £680 million. Of this some £63 million was recovered from the National Insurance Fund for modernisation. These recoveries will continue over the life of the Department's modernisation programme.