§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if, in pursuance of the reply to the hon. Member for Birkenhead,Official Report, 20 February, column 675–76, he will detail the number affected by the changes to national insurance benefits over the 1981 to 1988 period and give the cash effect and the cash effect in 1988 prices for each of the changes during 1988 to 1990.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardAs stated in my reply to the hon. Member of 20 February 1990, details of the numbers affected by changes prior to 1988 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Details of the cash effect of the changes set out in the reply of 20 February are given in the table. All the changes were, in whole or in part, introduced part way through the year and details are therefore given for both the year of introduction and the year following.
insurance inspectors were planned to employers' premises in each of the last 10 years; how many were made; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardNational insurance inspectors conduct several thousand visits to employers each week to resolve inquiries and to investigate recording errors. In addition, inspectors conduct more searching visits in order to ensure compliance with social security legislation. Such visits are part of combined survey which, since 1986, has been undertaken in cooperation with Inland Revenue. No firm target was set for the overall number of visits because the time taken to complete them can vary widely but the expectation was to undertake around 100,000 each year. The actual number of these visits in each of the last three years was as follows:
Year Number 1986–87 103,630 1987–88 92,034 1988–89 80,568 Figures for comparable visits undertaken in earlier years are not readily available.