23 Nov 1995 : Column: 229
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 23 November 1995
SOCIAL SECURITY
Social Security Payments
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the total cost to public funds of increasing in line with earnings all social security payments that have never been upgraded from the date when they were announced. [704]
Mr. Burt: The estimated gross cost is around £1.8 billion at April 1995 prices, rounded to the nearest £100 million.
Fraud
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the contribution to the decline in detected savings in tackling organised methods of payment fraud of (a) a real reduction in fraud and (b) a decline in the detection of fraud. [1105]
Mr. Heald: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 26 October 1995, Official Report, column 800.
There is no evidence that investigation work is less successful, and we believe that the reduction in savings is directly attributable to the preventive measures that we have put in place to prevent and deter instrument of payment fraud.
Child Support Agency
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update his answer of 13 June 1995, Official Report, column 492, in respect of benefit savings achieved by the Child Support Agency. [1093]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 22 November 1995:
23 Nov 1995 : Column: 230
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about benefit savings.
Ms Lynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update the monthly breakdown of requirement to co-operate decisions contained in his answer of 26 October 1995, Official Report, columns 805-6, in respect of the Child Support Agency, to include the figures from April 1995 to the most recent month for which figures are available. [1098]
The table attached covers April to September this year. It shows that the Agency has recorded savings of approximately £195.03 million. The total does not cover Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit savings which will be calculated later in the year.
Category of benefit savings Amount £ million
Resulting from pre-CSA assessments:
Paid through Agency collection service to Secretary of State 1.57
Resulting from CSA and pre-CSA assessments:
Paid direct by Absent Parent to Parent with Care 65.69
Resulting from CSA assessments:
Paid through Agency collection service to Secretary of State 30.16
Deductions from Absent Parents' Income support payments 4.18
Income Support claim cessations:
Income Support exceeded rate of benefit 4.30
Income Support claim withdrawn within four weeks of CSA action 80.99
Reductions in Family credit or Disability Working Allowance resulting from CSA assessments 8.14
Housing Benefit/Council tax reductions resulting from CSA assessments Not available
Total 195.03
Mr. Mitchell: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 22 November 1995:
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I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about requirement to co-operate decisions.
You asked for an update of the monthly breakdown of requirement to co-operate decisions contained in his Answer of 26th October 1995, Official Report, columns 805-6, in respect of the Child Support Agency, to include the figures from April 1995 to the most recent month for which figures are available.
The table below provides a breakdown of the outcome of requirement to co-operate investigations completed during each month between April and September 1995. From April 1995, information is now available on the number of reduced benefit directions actually implemented by Benefits Agency rather than the number issued for implementation. We have included this in the table and hope that you will find it more meaningful.
You may wish to know that the majority of the figures shown in the table are contained in the Child Support Agency Statistical Information which is placed in the Library of the House of Commons each month.
Month Good Cause Accepted Absent Parent Named Good cause not Accepted Reduced Benefit Direction Implemented Investigations Completed
April 2,172 490 3,035 2,361 5,697
May 3,119 862 4,212 2,868 8,193
June 3,133 1,584 4,573 2,346 9,290
July 3,289 1,986 4,018 2,011 9,293
August 3,341 2,004 4,331 2,363 9,676
September 3,523 2,312 4,024 2,367 9,859
Total 18,577 9,238 24,193 14,316 52,008
Mr. Tipping:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many telephone calls have been received on the Child Support Agency MP hotline since it started. [1064]
Mr. Mitchell: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Paddy Tipping, dated 22 November 1995:
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the largest back-dated payment required by the Child Support Agency. [122]
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the Child Support Agency MP Hotline.
From its launch on 12 December 1993 to 30 September 1995, 5,230 telephone calls have been answered on the Hotline.
Mr. Mitchell: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Asylum Seekers
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated in respect of the effect of the changes to be made on 8 January 1996 on the claiming of benefit by asylum seekers with particular reference to access to housing. [1230]
Mr. Roger Evans: Proposals on social security payments to asylum seekers and other persons from abroad were presented to the Social Security Advisory Committee on 11 October. The committee has carried out a public consultation on these proposals and has received representations from many individuals and organisations, including housing associations and local authorities. The committee is now evaluating those responses and we expect to receive its report in December.
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many sponsored immigrants are subject to a signed undertaking as defined in the Immigration Act 1971 given by another person or persons; how many of them are now receiving (a) income support, (b) housing benefit (c) council tax benefit (d) family credit (e) attendance allowance (f) disability living allowance (g) disability working allowance (h) invalid care allowance and (i) severe disablement allowance, indicating in each case the cost to public funds. [1228]
Mr. Evans: The information is not available in the format requested. Separate details of claims to social security benefits by sponsored immigrants are not collected due to the relatively small size of this group.
It is estimated that nearly a half of sponsored immigrants claim income support and that two-thirds of these may also claim housing benefit and council tax benefit.
| Year | Sponsorship undertakings received |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 2,121 |
| 1994 | 1,925 |
| 1995 (to 20 November 1995) | 1,847 |
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in respect of those who have claimed income support our the last seven years, in how many cases (a) this was due to the death of the sponsor (b) this was due to the sponsor being made bankrupt and (c) this was because the sponsor had become unemployed. [1229]
Mr. Evans: The information is not available.
Interim Payments
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many interim payments have been paid under the Social Security (Payments on Account, Overpayments and Recovery) Regulations 1988 over the last seven years; and how many of these were pending the outcome of an appeal against a benefit refusal. [1231]
Mr. Evans: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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