§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what payments are made to doctors carrying out medical examinations for incapacity benefit claims; and what was the total cost in the last year for which figures are available. [14028]
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of Benefits Agency medical services is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Jimmy Hood, dated 5 February 1997:
710WThe Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent parliamentary question about what payments are made to doctors carrying out medical examinations for Incapacity Benefit (IB) claims; and what was the total cost in the last year for which figures are available.£14.1 million. The remaining 15,500 are expected to generate an additional £13.4 million in benefit savings. We believe that the existence of the fraud hotline also has a significant, although unquantifiable, impact on the level of fraud committed.
The fraud hotline caller does not always know the benefits in payment. Consequently, details of calls on a benefit-by-benefit basis have not been kept. This information is available for general fraud referrals, but it is not possible to track referrals in this way for specific fraud initiatives, such as hotline.