§ Lord Morris of Manchesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
What urgent action they intend to take in response to the conclusions of the 4th Report of the House of Commons Social Security Committee (Disability Living Allowance HC 641), particularly in relation to the Benefit Integrity Project (BIP); and when present Ministers first became aware of the project's existence. [HL2044]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Baroness Hollis of Heigham)We welcome the important contribution made by the Social Security Select Committee's report to the debate about Disability Living Allowance (DLA). We will be making a full response to the report in due course and in doing so we will adhere to the usual conventions set out by the Procedure Committee. We are keen to ensure that we consult fully with organisations of and for disabled people on the kind of issues raised in this report. I will be taking this forward in the Disability Benefits Forum we are setting up. The letter from the Permanent Secretary to the chairman of the Social Security Select Committee, which is reproduced at annex 12 to their report, sets out the position on ministerial knowledge of the Benefit Integrity Project (BIP).