Disability Living Allowance (Hansard, 31 July 1998)

§ Dr. George Turner
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish by local social services authority, the total numbers of recipients of disability living allowance for the most recent available date(a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the population of the authority and, (c) the numbers of pensionable age who retain their eligibility for the care component beyond pensionable age. [54196]

§ Mr. Denham
The figures are set out in the table entitled "Recipients of Disability Living Allowance at 31 May 1998, by local authority and population" a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

§ Mr. Rendel
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of disability living allowance in Scotland have had their benefit reduced or stopped under the Benefit Integrity Project; and how much money was saved as a result. [53729]

§ Mr. Denham
The administration of Disability Living Allowance and the Benefits Integrity Project 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. David Rendel, dated 30 July 1998 The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many claimants of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in Scotland have had their benefit reduced or stopped as a result of a decision taken as part of the Benefits Integrity Project (BIP) and how much money was saved as a result. Information on the BIP is not available in the format requested. To provide geographical information routinely would incur high costs and disrupt the processing of ongoing casework. As at 31 May 1998, a total of 217,839 cases, including 34,164 renewal cases, have been selected routinely would incur high costs and disrupt the processing of ongoing casework. At the same date a total of 94,634 cases have been examined. Of the total cases dealt with 2,191 have resulted in an increase in benefit. 73,035 have remained unchanged, 12,101 have resulted in a reduction in benefit and 7,307 have resulted in benefit being stopped. The total includes 20,054 renewal cases, of which 623 have resulted in an increase in benefit, 10,121 have remained unchanged. 5,539 have resulted in a reduction in benefit and 3,771 have resulted in benefit being stopped. The BIP is looking again at some awards of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to collect up to date information about the care and mobility needs of some disabled people and to make sure that the correct amount of benefit is being paid. It is expected that the Project will realise benefit savings of £8 million in the first year, £36 million in the second year and £40 million in the third. A monthly statistical report can be found in the House of Commons Library. I hope that this is helpful.
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§ Mrs. May
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of those decisions on the payment of disability living allowance which have been reviewed by the Benefit Integrity Project have been incurred on the basis of calculations(a) including exempt categories, (b) excluding renewals and (c) including exempt categories and excluding renewals. [54906]

§ Mr. Denham
The administration of Disability Living Allowance 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 Mrs. Theresa May, dated 31 July 1998: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of those decisions on the payment of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) which have been reviewed by the Benefits Integrity Project (BIP) have been incurred on the following basis of calculations (a) including exempt categories, (b) excluding renewals and (c) including exempt categories and excluding renewals. The information is not available in the format requested. Customers who are in the categories to be looked at by the BIP are those in receipt of Mobility component at the higher rate with either the middle or highest rate of the Care component. The customers included in the BIP are selected by means of computer scans. The names of customers who are in the exemption categories for action by the BIP will not appear on the scans and therefore cannot be identified. Some cases input onto the system during the conversion from Mobility Allowance to the Mobility component of DLA in 1992 may appear on the scans but are identified under a separate code. This does not show which disability the customer is suffering from and as a result the customer's papers are checked individually by the BIP Operational Teams. Any customers found to be exempt from the BIP are then removed from the work. New disability codes are then entered onto the system and the remaining cases appropriate to be included are actioned by the BIP Teams. The total payload of customers in receipt of Disability Living Allowance is 2,018,619 at 31 May 1998. Of these, 561,100 were in receipt of DLA in the categories for inclusion in the BIP. As at the 31 May 1998, a total of 217,839 cases, including 34,164 renewal cases were selected for action under the BIP nationally. This does not include 13,725 cases which were found to be exempt and therefore excluded from selection. A monthly statistical report can be found in the House of Commons Library. I hope you find this helpful.