§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Malcolm Wicks)On behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI) has today announced its programme of activity for 2003–04 (Phase 8).
The BFI is an independent unit within the Department for Work and Pensions that inspects and reports directly to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on the standard of benefit administration and counter-fraud activity in local authorities and Departmental agencies.
As part of the Phase 8 activity, the BFI will be inspecting 8 of the poorest performing councils identified through the comprehensive performance assessment process: Barking and Dagenham, Bury, Isle of Wight, Knowsley, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Swindon, and Wokingham. These local authorities are collectively responsible for paying out nearly £200 million per year in housing benefits.
BFI is also offering specialist advice as part of its Performance Improvement Action Team programme to a further 9 poor performing councils identified through the comprehensive performance assessment process.
The BFI will undertake a first inspection of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, which performed well during the 2002 comprehensive performance assessment of its benefit service, but has consistently failed to provide quarterly management information to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Follow-up inspections on other local authorities will also be undertaken. These authorities have been identified from post-inspection monitoring of performance.
In addition to first and follow-up inspections, the BFI will also undertake comprehensive performance assessments in England on the benefits service for 183 district local authorities, and updates on the 115 single tier local authorities assessed in 2002.
In Scotland, BFI will undertake 10 best value inspections in partnership with Audit Scotland. BFI will also undertake assessments of the benefits service for the 22 Welsh local authorities as part of the Wales Programme for Improvement.