§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give any conveniently available figures of the amount recovered from the estates of deceased people by his department, as a result of overpayment of social security payments during the lifetime of the deceased: and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DeanIn the financial year ended March 1973 overpayments of supplementary benefit and national assistance346W amounting to £717,207 were recovered from the estates of 3,589 deceased claimants. These came to light almost entirely from the discovery after death that all capital assets had not been disclosed during the claimant's lifetime.
In addition there were some recoveries of known overpayments of other social security benefits outstanding at recipients' deaths, but, as the possession of capital does not affect the amount of contributory benefits, the number would be small and no separate records are kept.