§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement outlining the precise use which his Department makes of national insurance numbers, and list any other Government Departments which have access to the numbers.
§ Dr. BoysonThe national insurance number is used to identify an individual's account in which his paid or credited contributions are recorded. When a claim to benefit is made, the number is used to trace the claimant's account. The Department of Employment has access to232W employed in the National Health Service as doctors, nurses and midwives, technicians, administrative and clerical and ancillary staff, respectively, in each year since 1974–75.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAll the information available is shown in the table.
national insurance numbers and records for its administration of unemployment benefit. Inland Revenue uses the numbers as reference numbers in the PAYE system and in national insurance collection and enforcement work on behalf of this Department, but has no access to contribution records.