§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if his Department has completed checking the individual payroll items against the departmental central index; and if he will make a statement. [119860]
§ Mr. RookerThis Department does not at present match its payroll data against the departmental central index (DCI). To do so would involve a change of conditions of service of its staff and would have implications in respect of data protection legislation.
However, the large employers unit of the Contributions Agency, now part of the Inland Revenue, does carry out a reconciliation of National Insurance contributions paid by employees of companies against its records. In common with other large employers, this Department has been examined by this unit.
There is no evidence of widespread benefit fraud by staff: the last payroll cleansing exercise conducted by the Contributions Agency of the Department's payroll identified only one member of staff claiming benefit using their own national insurance number.