here - United Kingdom Parliament

877W
Written Answers
1 DECEMBER 2010
Written Answers
878W
Number and monetary value of 156 warrant cases
Number Amount of overpaid benefit (£)
149 33,735.64
150 37,465.39
151 39,906.59
152 46,406.20
153 53,319.36
154 54,864.22
155 55,494.13
156 58,550.01
Source:
FRAIMS
The Department will instigate criminal proceedings irrespective of
the amount of overpayment where it is in the public interest to do so.
For example, an attempt by a fraudster to falsely obtain a national
insurance number to gain access to the benefit system may have
criminal proceedings instigated against them whether or not there was
an overpayment.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work
and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 November
2010, Official Report, column 350W, on social security
benefits: fraud, what steps are being taken to recover
the suspected fraud identified in the cases; what steps
he plans to take to recover from them the legal and
other costs of pursuing those cases; what estimate he
made of the cost to the public purse of taking legal and
other action to pursue those cases; and what steps are
being taken to arrest the persons concerned in the 550
cases. [24720]
Chris Grayling: Once a decision has been made that
an overpayment is recoverable the steps taken to effect
recovery include deductions from ongoing benefits,
instalments, a lump sum or through the courts.
Overpayments are not written off if the debtor cannot
be immediately located. Comprehensive efforts are made
to trace debtors and debts may be pursued over a
considerable period of time.
The Department seeks prosecution costs awards in
all cases: it is not limited to those dealt with by warrant.
Standard costs are £100.00 in guilty plea and £250.00 in
not guilty plea cases heard in the magistrates courts. In
the Crown court, applications for prosecution costs
start at £350.00 and rise substantially depending on the
seriousness, complexity and plea entered. Decisions to
award prosecution costs are made by presiding magistrates
or judges on a case by case basis.
Information is not available of the cost to the public
purse of taking legal and other action to pursue the 550
cases.
The Department has nominated staff whose duties
include checking all outstanding warrants every month
against departmental records and informing the warrant
holder, who is normally either based at the local police
or court, of changes and requesting immediate execution
of warrants. The responsibility to arrest rests with the
police.
Social Security Benefits: Reform
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions what the evidential basis is for the
estimate in his Department’s White Paper on welfare
reform that his proposed benefit reforms will take
300,000 people out of poverty; and over what period he
expects this to be achieved. [26169]
Chris Grayling: We expect that by the time it is fully
implemented, universal credit will have moved 350,000
children and 500,000 working-age adults out of poverty,
due to increased benefit entitlement and improved take-up
rates. This is estimated using the Department’s policy
simulation model. These poverty impacts do not take
any account of any positive impacts of more people
moving into work.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the
number of people who will no longer be in poverty in
(a) Haslingden and (b) Hyndburn as a result of
implementation of his proposed reforms to the welfare
system. [26170]
Chris Grayling: The information is not available for
the geographical areas requested.
We estimate that for Great Britain, by the time it is
fully implemented, the impact of universal credit will be
a net poverty reduction of 350,000 children and 500,000
working-age adults.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the
number of people likely to have their (a) housing
benefit, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) jobseeker’s allowance
withdrawn as a result of implementation of the proposals
in his Department’s White Paper on welfare reform.
[26189]
Chris Grayling: No one will experience a reduction in
the benefit they are receiving as a result of the introduction
of universal credit. At the point of transition onto the
new system, those households whose circumstances remain
unchanged and who would otherwise experience a reduction
in income will receive cash protection to make up the
difference.
Universal Credit: Welfare
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions with reference to paragraph 14
of his White Paper entitled Universal Credit: welfare
that works, when he plans to set out proposals for a
new system of financial sanctions to provide greater
incentives for people to meet their responsibilities.
[24900]
Chris Grayling: Our current proposals for financial
sanctions are set out in chapter three of our White
Paper, ‘Universal Credit: welfare that works’.
Universal credit will make sure that work pays. In
return, claimants can reasonably be expected to look
for and prepare for work.
We also believe that it is fair to ask some claimants to
do more to find work in return for receiving current
benefits and ahead of the introduction of universal
credit we intend to increase the level of labour market
conditionality applied to some claimants; introduce a
claimant commitment to ensure claimants fully understand
what is expected of them; improve the sanctions regime
so that it more effectively encourages claimants to meet
their responsibilities; and introduce full-time mandatory
work activity.