Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to transfer housing benefit fraud investigation powers from local authorities to national investigation service.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The current intention is for Local Authority powers to prosecute Housing Benefit cases to be turned off from 02 April 2016, at which time the Department for Work and Pensions Fraud and Error Service will assume overall responsibility, following the full implementation of the Single Fraud Investigation Service Project.
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of benefit fraud in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2013-14; and what proportion of total expenditure on housing benefit that cost represented in each of those years.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Overpayments in the benefit system have fallen to a record low of 1.8% for 2014-15.
In 2013-14 total benefit expenditure excluding housing benefit was £140bn, of which the cost of benefit fraud was £0.77bn (0.55%). Similarly, Housing Benefit expenditure was £24.2bn, of which the cost of benefit fraud was £0.43bn (1.78%).
In 2014-15 total benefit expenditure excluding housing benefit was £144bn, of which the cost of benefit fraud was £0.71bn (0.49%). Similarly, Housing Benefit expenditure was £24.3bn, of which the cost of benefit fraud was 0.59bn (2.43%).
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for increased benefit fraud in the last financial year.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 2014-2015 national statistics for fraud and error were published on 5 November 2015. We are committed to tackling fraud and error, and these figures show a reduction in total benefit fraud and error to the lowest ever level of 1.8%. There was a slight increase of 0.1% in the benefit fraud figure (from 0.7% in 2013-2014 to 0.8%).
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which credit reference agencies his Department has engaged in housing benefit claim verification in the last financial year; and for what purpose each such agency was engaged.
Answered by Steve Webb
The Department has not engaged any credit reference agencies in Housing Benefit claims in the last financial year. Individual local authorities are free to make their own local arrangements for the administration of Housing Benefit and some may use credit reference agencies to verify claims. We do not collect information on this.
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have made at least one claim for out of work benefits in each region and constituent part of the UK since May 2010.
Answered by Steve Webb
The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.
Answered by Mike Penning
The top 10 consultancy firms by spend in 2013/2014 were:
PriceWaterhouse Coopers £2,964,276
KPMG £2,573,186
WS Atkins PLC £2,155,486
Capgemini PLC £1,520,975
Ernst & Young £1,195,116
Deloitte MCS Ltd £836,116
Methods Consulting Ltd £35,400
Compass Management Consulting Ltd £31,250
British Telecom PLC £27,250
Experian Group Ltd £12,500
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.
Answered by Mike Penning
In the last financial year 2013-14 DWP used the services of Capita Resourcing Limited and Capita Business Services to provide temporary workers. The amounts paid in agency fees were as follows:
Capita Resourcing Limited £9,517,163
Capita Business Services £1,108,082
Both Capita Resourcing Ltd and Capita Business Services provided a managed service to DWP to provide interim personnel and specialist contractors. The figures represent the total fee paid to Capita including the fees paid by Capita to the workers.