HC Deb 06 December 1999 vol 340 cc369-70W
Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what new initiatives he intends to introduce to reduce the amount of fraud in claiming social security payments. [101418]

Mr. Rooker

We set out our strategy for combating fraud and reducing error in "Safeguarding Social Security", published on 23 March 1999. We are putting this strategy into practice with strong and sensible safeguards to ensure the right money goes to the right people. Among the new initiatives that carry this wish forward are the followingNew more robust powers for fraud inspectors in The Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill published on 1 December. These provisions give greater clarity and allow all benefit fraud investigations to proceed on the basis of common powers. All payments will move to automated credit transfer (ACT) from 2003 as a modern, more secure and efficient method of paying benefits. This will virtually eliminate "instrument of payment" fraud and enhance security over the life of a claim. This is expected to yield annual fraud savings of around £140 million.

Project Start date Planned completion date Planned cost (£ million)
IT projects in development stage
DSS Year 2000 Programme10 1 July 1997 31 March 2000 142.7
Site Backbone Upgrade2,10 November 1999 June 2000 5.8
DSS Corporate Intranet June 1999 March 2001 31.2
CSA Operations Re-organisation Project (ORP) May 1998 31 March 2000 23.4
Decision Making and Appeals 3 February 1998 29 November 1999 32
Working Families Tax Credit 1 April 1998 22 February 2000 47.7
Data Protection/Freedom of Information Act(s) 18 November 1998 1 December 2001 55.1
Resource Accounting and Budgeting 1 September 1998 31 October 2000 1.5
Devolution (Scotland) 1 April 1998 31 March 2000 2.8
PSCS/INCAP—Changes to SDA (SDA Reform) 11 January 1999 1 April 2001 3.5
Disability Living Allowance Administrative Reforms 20 April 1999 8— 70.1
Order Book Control Service (OBCS)—National Rollout Project 5 July 1999 91 April 2005 9.3
IT projects in the planning stage
HQ Stakeholder Pensions Project4, 10 December 1998 April 2001 34
Child Support Reforms New Rules Implementation5, 10 January 1999 2003 6—
Bereavement Benefits10 1 January 1999 30 April 2001 17

A regional radio campaign, from 1 November, costing some £500,000, with supporting adverts in local newspapers, to advertise the Benefit Fraud Hotline. This has led to thousands of extra calls to the Hotline.