HC Deb 03 April 2001 vol 366 cc163-4W
Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many officials are working on clawing back moneys from miners' compensation; and if he will make a statement.[154188]

Mr. Bayley

Sixty-seven officials in the Department's Compensation Recovery Unit are working on miners' compensation recovery. These staff are also employed on other duties.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many clawback calculations on miners' compensation have been completed to date; and if he will make a statement. [154062]

Mr. Bayley

The number of assessments made by the Compensation Recovery Unit up to and including 16 March 2001 is 97,858. On only a limited number of these cases has the action required by both the Department of Trade and Industry and the Compensation Recovery Unit been fully completed—the majority of cases are therefore still being dealt with.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the average cost is of each clawback sum from invalid miners' compensation reclaimed by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [154189]

Mr. Bayley

The average administration cost per case based on all miners compensation cases completed (including those cases where no recovery is made) is £72.48.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what average sum has been clawed back by his Department from miners' compensation. [154207]

Mr. Bayley

The average sum per case recovered in all miners compensation cases completed (including those cases where no recovery is made) is £2,069.81 in respect of benefit already paid to the individual.

Any amounts recovered are in respect of payments to miners as a consequence of their illness and are recovered direct from the Department of Trade and Industry, not the miners themselves. Sums are recovered by the Department of Trade and Industry from the miners compensation payments in only a limited number of cases.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many cases of clawback from compensation awarded to invalid miners were completed in(a) 1998 and (b) 2000; and if he will make a statement. [154187]

Mr. Bayley

The following is the information:

Number of cases where the action required by both the Department of Trade and Industry and the Compensation Recovery Unit has been fully completed
Year Number of cases
1998–99 876
2000–01 (to 16 March 2001) 2,928

Any amounts recovered are in respect of payments to miners as a consequence of their illness and are recovered direct from the Department of Trade and Industry, not the miners themselves. Sums are recovered by the Department of Trade and Industry from the miners compensation payments in only a limited number of cases.