HC Deb 21 February 1996 vol 272 c197W
Mr. David Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the total number of inaccuracies made in calculating(a) full and (b) partial retirement pensions in each of the last three years. [14749]

Mr. Heald

The administration of retirement pension is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. David Nicholson, dated 20 February 1996:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what is his estimate of the total number of inaccuracies made in calculating (a) full and (b) partial Retirement Pensions (RP) in each of the last three years.The information is not available in the format requested. The Benefits Agency provides statistics on the accuracy, in percentage terms, of the total of RP claims. These include details of Widows Benefit (WB) claims. Figures for full and modified rates are not separated for accuracy purposes.The table below gives details of the accuracy achieved for RP and WB claims for the last three years.

Percentage
Year Accuracy
1992–93 98.6
1993–94 98.3
1994–95 98.1

Figures are provisional and subject to change. I hope you find this reply useful.