HC Deb 25 February 2003 vol 400 c487W
Mr. Dismore

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what plans he has for an invest to save bid to the Treasury for the computerisation of industrial injuries disablement benefit records; and if he will make a statement; [95513]

(2) if he will estimate the cost of checking, and where necessary amending, industrial injuries disablement benefit records manually in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement; [95515]

(3) what estimate he has made of the likely costs of computerising industrial injuries disablement benefit records; and if he will make a statement; [95514]

(4) what plans he has to computerise industrial injuries disablement benefit claim records; and if he will make a statement. [95516]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

The Industrial Injuries Computer System holds personal information and payment details for around 342,000 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit customers. It allows users to register new awards, record clerical payments, and generate ongoing benefit payments.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit already has a high degree of assessment accuracy and requires little in the way of maintenance of customer records. We have no current plans to develop the system further and have no recent estimate of the cost of doing so.

Information on the cost of checking and amending records manually is not available.