§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of(a) fraud and (b) overpayment in respect of claims by landlords for accommodation provided under the NASS asylum 698W support programme has been in each year since the establishment of NASS; how many investigations have been undertaken in each year; what the outcomes were; and if he will make a statement. [102778]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 13 March 2003]: The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) has entered into contracts with both the private and public sector to provide accommodation for asylum seekers. Under the terms of the contract a set price is paid for the accommodation provided but contractors are required to meet key performance indicators. There have been no investigations into suspected cases of fraud or overpayment.
The method of payment used by NASS to pay its contractors may, on occasions, result in a technical overpayment. This is caused by the need to make deductions from the contract price where there has been a failure to meet key performance indicators but the system is self correcting in subsequent months.