HC Deb 04 February 1998 vol 305 cc691-4W
Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if she will provide figures for the outcome of cases dealt with under the Benefit Integrity Project, differentiating between those cases dealt with by special review and those dealt with by normal renewal action; [27190]

(2) how many recipients of disability living allowance whose benefit has been reduced or disallowed as a result of the Benefit Integrity Project have appealed; and how many have had their benefit increased on review, differentiating between those cases dealt with by special review and those dealt with by normal action. [27191]

Mr. Denham

One of our key aims is to rebuild integrity in, and public support for, the Social Security system and the way in which public money is spent. Benefits should go to those who are properly entitled to benefit. This is why we have continued with Benefit Integrity Project.

The administration of this programme is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with further details.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. David Rendel, dated 3 February 1998: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to respond to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Benefit Integrity Project (BIP). The BIP is looking again at designated Disability Living Allowance (DLA) awards. Information is gathered on a questionnaire designed to provide a full picture of a person's care and mobility needs. Those receiving the higher rate of the mobility component combined with the highest rate of the care component are visited by a specially trained visiting officer while those receiving the higher rate of the mobility component combined with the middle rate of the care component are sent a questionnaire by post. If the information provided suggests that a change of circumstances has occurred which may affect entitlement to benefit the case is passed to an independent Adjudication Officer (AO) for review. Reviews are carried out under adjudication rules which apply to all DLA awards. Some awards in the designated categories will expire during the period of the BIP. When a short-term award of DLA is approaching its renewal date a renewal claim form is sent to the recipient. It would clearly be inappropriate to require completion of a BIP questionnaire as well. So, in renewal cases AOs have been advised that the integrity of the benefit should be secured by seeking further evidence from the most appropriate source. When the completed form is returned and medical evidence has been obtained the claim is passed to the AO to determine—as if it were a new claim to benefit. As at 31 December 1997, the BIP had examined 40,615 cases of which 25,638 were postal enquiries, 7,515 were visits and 7,462 cases had been dealt with on renewal. Of the total cases dealt with 7,717 have had benefit reduced/stopped, 978 have had benefit increased and 31,920 have been unchanged. Of 33,153 cases dealt with by post or by visit, 4,365 have had benefit reduced/stopped, 736 have had benefit increased and 28,052 have remained unchanged. Of the 7,462 cases dealt with on renewal, 3,352 have had benefit reduced/stopped, 242 have had benefit increased and 3,868 have remained unchanged. Decisions about entitlement to DLA are made by independent AOs. The first recourse of a person who is dissatisfied with an AO's decision is to ask for a review by a different AO. If the person remains dissatisfied they have the right of appeal to an independent Appeal Tribunal. Cases examined as part of the BIP are subject to the same rules as any other DLA case. Data is not available on the number of people who have asked for a review of the AOs decision. However at 31 December 1997, of 4,365 cases dealt with by post or visit which have had benefit reduced or stopped, 842 requests for review have been cleared of which 174 have had their benefit increased, and of 3,352 cases dealt with on renewal which have had benefit reduced or stopped, 525 requests for review have been cleared of which 120 have had their benefit increased. As at 31 December 1997, 311 Appeals have been received but no cases have been heard by the Independent Tribunal Service. Appeals data cannot be broken down further until the outcome of the appeal is known. I hope you find the reply helpful.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many cases of fraud have been reported as a result of the Benefit Integrity Project; [21635]

(2) on which disability living allowance claim form the Benefit Integrity Project questionnaire will be based; [21634]

(3) what percentage of claimants responding to the Benefit Integrity Project questionnaire had their (i) award maintained, (ii) higher rate maintenance reduced to medium rate maintenance, (iii) higher rate maintenance reduced to lower rate maintenance, (iv) higher rate maintenance reduced to nil, (v) middle rate care reduced to lower rate care and (vi) middle rate care reduced to nil; [21636]

(4) what training has been provided to district office visiting staff undertaking Benefit Integrity Project visits. [21633]

Mr. Denham

One of our key aims is to rebuild integrity in, and public support for, the Social Security system and the way in which public money is spent. Benefits should go to those who are properly entitled to benefit. This is why we have continued with the Benefit Integrity Project.

The administration of this programme is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with further details.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Paul Burstow, dated 3 February 1998: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding the Benefit Integrity Project (BIP). The BIP was set up in response to the recent Benefit Review of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) which found that as much as 0.5 billion a year, in DLA, may be being paid to people who are not entitled to receive it. The purpose of the project is to update the information held for DLA customers. Over the next two years, specially trained staff will make enquiries by postal questionnaire or home visit in over 400,000 cases to establish whether DLA is paid correctly. The BIP obtains an up to date statement of a person's circumstances by post or at a visit. All the information gathered is recorded on form DLA 250, which was reviewed by groups of disabled people and their representatives in June 1997. Form DLA 250 is based on the standard DLA claim form. As at 30 November 1997, of the 27,511 cases looked at the percentage which have not been changed at all is 84.9%. The percentage of cases where the care component has not been changed is 85.3%. This similarity reflects the relatively small proportion of cases which have been changed. The percentage of awards reduced from higher rate care to medium rate care is 1.1%, to lower rate is 0.3% and to nil rate 0.6%. The percentage of awards reduced from middle rate to lower rate is 3.1% and from middle rate to nil rate is 7.1%. Approximately 40 cases have been referred to a fraud officer as a result of BIP activity. DLA is no different to any other benefit and we will prosecute if that is the appropriate action. District Office (DO) staff are not undertaking visits as part of the BIP except in Wales where there are 31 DO staff carrying out BIP visits. These are staff with a background in benefits administration who have also undertaken visits on a range of benefits on behalf of the DOs. Before undertaking any BIP visits all visiting staff, including those in Wales, received a specially designed five day training course, which included sessions on the background to DLA, an opportunity to practice visiting and interviewing skills, an explanation of how to deal with difficult situations and a session delivered by the Disablement Income Group on the special considerations which need to be borne in mind when visiting disabled people. I hope you find this reply helpful.

Mr. Kidney

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what benefits are currently subject to the benefit integrity project; and what further benefits will be subjected to it. [25737]

Mr. Denham

The Benefit Integrity Project is a discrete exercise involving people with certain awards of Disability Living Allowance. It is designed to collect accurate, up-to-date information about beneficiaries" care and mobility needs through a programme of home visits and postal enquiries extending over two or so years. It makes sense that we periodically check that people are getting the right money. This sort of inquiry is routine in other benefits such as Income Support, Invalid Care Allowance and Jobseeker's Allowance.