§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his Department has given any instruction with regard to the amount of benefit payable to claimants while the Newcastle computer is out of action; what effect any such instructions will have on the overall amount paid out; and how any increases will be recovered.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThere are standing instructions for occasions when information cannot be obtained from the records held at Newcastle. When adequate information about a claimant's contribution record is not already held in the local office, he is asked to give details of his employment and earnings in the relevant income tax year, and benefit is assessed and paid accordingly.
This may result in an overpayment of benefit in a small proportion of cases. When conditions are back to normal, steps will be taken, where reasonable and practicable, to identify any such overpayments; consideration will then be given to taking recovery action in accordance with normal procedures.