§ Mrs. McKennaTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to implement the recommendations made in the report by Lord Grabiner QC on The Informal Economy. [131151]
§ Mr. DarlingLord Grabiner's report made a number of useful recommendations that the Government are committed to implement. A confidential telephone helpline has been launched to provide advice on tax and benefits to people who want to put their affairs in order. We are extending the tightened procedures for allocating National Insurance numbers to the rest of the country. We are also taking steps to deny benefit to people who have been convicted twice of benefit fraud—"two strikes and you're out".
An important recommendation was that the Government should make greater use of information from private sector sources. Today I am publishing a consultation document on how we can better check claims in the fight against fraud. The public and all interested parties will have three months to respond. Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Library and the Vote Office.