§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals there have been against findings made under the Benefit Integrity Project in the last year for which figures are available. [64691]
§ Mr. TimmsThe administration of the Benefits Integrity Project is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, Peter Mathison. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Elfyn Llwyd, dated 16 December 1998:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many appeals there have been against findings made under the Benefit Integrity Project (BIP) in the last year for which figures are available.As at 31 October 1998 there have been 22,689 reviews and 5,925 appeals received following BIP action.You may find it helpful to know that statistical information about the BIP, including details of reviews and appeals are published monthly and placed in the House of Commons Library.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many civil servants will be redeployed following the cancellation of the Benefit Integrity Project. [64689]
§ Mr. TimmsThe administration of the Benefit Integrity Project is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, Peter Mathison. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Elfyn Llwyd, dated 17 December 1998:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about how many civil servants will be redeployed after the cancellation of the Benefits Integrity Project.The number of people engaged on the Benefit Integrity Project as at 30 November 1998 was the equivalent of 365.54 full-time staff.The Benefits Integrity Project will be replaced by a new modern review system to carry out regular checks of existing awards to ensure entitlement remains correct. However there is no estimate of the final numbers of staff that will be required.I hope you find this reply helpful.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the Benefit Integrity Project's cancellation will come into effect; and if he will make a statement. [64690]
§ Mr. TimmsThe Benefit Integrity Project will be replaced by a new, even-handed system of review, sensitive to people's circumstances and fair because it will provide for awards to be increased as well as decreased in line with entitlement. We will introduce the new process as soon as possible and aim to have it in place by April 1999 but our primary concern is to get it right rather than to introduce it quickly. We are discussing the way forward with the Disability Benefits Forum.