Disability Living Allowance (Hansard, 5 February 1998)

§ 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 Benefits 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 4 February 1998: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to recent Parliamentary Question regarding the numbers of people in respect of the Benefit Integrity Programme (BIP) (a) assessed to date by postal questionnaire, (b) assessed to date by interview, (c) in (a) who have had their disability living allowance reduced, (e) in (c) who have appealed against the reduction, (f) in (d) who have appealed against the reduction, (g) in (e) who have succeeded in their appeal and (h) in (f) who have succeeded in their appeal. The number of people whose award of Disability Living Allowance (DLS) has been re-examined as part of BIP at 31 December is 40,615. Of these, 25,638 cases have been dealt with by postal enquiry and 7,515 have been visited. A further 7,462 cases where a short term award of DLA was approaching renewal, have bee dealt with by asking for further medical evidence to support the renewal application. Of the cases dealt with by postal enquiry, 3,520 have had their benefit reduced, this includes 1,274 whose benefit has been stopped and of the cases dealt with by visit, 845 have had their benefit reduced, this includes 153 whose benefit has been stopped. The first recourse of anyone who is dissatisfied with a decision to reduce the amount of their benefit is to request a review of that decision by a different Adjudication Officer. Data concerning reviews is not available until the review outcome is known so it is not possible to tell you how many people in each category have requested a review. However, of the 3,520 postal cases where benefit has been reduced/stopped, 783 have been reviewed of which 162 have been increased (119 of these have been increased back to—or higher than—the rate in payment before BIP postal enquiry). Of the 845 visit cases whose benefit has been reduced/stopped, 59 have been reviewed leading to 12 increases (9 of these have been increased back to the rate in payment before the BIP visit). Anyone dissatisfied with the review decision is entitled to appeal to an Independent Tribunal. At 31 December, 311 Appeals have been received but no cases have been heard by the Independent Tribunal Service. I hope you find the reply helpful.