HC Deb 21 February 1991 vol 186 cc259-61W
Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will outline his Department's policy on checking benefit payments during the recent industrial action in a number of local benefit offices.

Miss Widdecombe

During the recent industrial action in a number of local benefit offices, the Department's policy was to continue to operate benefit checks normally as far as possible. Of the offices involved in the industrial action all continued to carry out security benefit payment checks in the usual way. The local benefit offices at Camberwell, Bloomsbury, Port Talbot, Wallasey, Stockton, Redcar, Hull (East) and Ilford did abandon checks on quality of work, but maintained all security checks on benefit payments.

Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether any checks of benefit payments were abandoned in local offices where officers normally responsible for checking procedures were on strike during the recent industrial action.

Miss Widdecombe

Security checks on benefit payments were not abandoned in any of the local benefit offices affected by the recent industrial action, and were carried out in the normal way. Some checks on quality of work were abandoned in the local benefit offices at Camberwell, Bloomsbury, Port Talbot, Wallasey, Stockton, Redcar, Hull (East) and Ilford.

Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will quantify the amount of money lost through overpayments of benefit as a result of the recent industrial action in a number of social security offices.

Miss Widdecombe

The information is not available.