§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in Cumbria have(a) been disallowed benefit and (b) received increased benefit as a result of the Benefit Integrity Project. [45664]
§ Mr. DenhamThe administration of the Benefit Integrity Project is a matter for Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefit Agency. He will write to the right hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. David Maclean, dated 22 June 1998:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people in Cumbria have (a) been disallowed benefit and (b) received increased benefit as a result of the Benefit Integrity Project (BIP).The information concerning 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 30 April 1998, a total of 172,026 cases, including 27,991 renewal cases have been selected for action under the BIP. At the same date a total of 81,221 cases have been examined. Of the total cases dealt with 1,864 have had their benefit increased, 63,380 have remained unchanged, 10,058 have had their benefit reduced and 5,919 have had their benefit stopped.The total included 16,366 renewal cases of which 505 had their benefit increased, 8,407 have remained unchanged, 4,436 have had their benefit reduced and 3,018 have had their benefit stopped.A monthly statistical report can be found in the House of Commons Library.I hope you find this reply useful.