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Dept of Social Security

Answer

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Leeds City Council. [143659] Mr. Rooker: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI) report was published today in respect of the Leeds City Council and copies of the report have been placed in the Library. The report provides recommendations aimed at helping the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as its counter fraud activities. Inspectors report that there is no doubting Leeds' desire to provide a good service to benefit claimants and at the time of the inspection the council was processing new claims quickly, an important component of the quality of service available to claimants. The council has, to its credit, implemented the Verification Framework; however, inspectors found that there were weaknesses in verification and consider that the council could strike a better balance between clearance rates and the need to verify claims. Although Leeds has implemented the Verification Framework (VF), Inspectors found there were weaknesses in verification. At the time of inspection, Leeds processed new claims quickly, which contributed significantly to the quality of service offered to claimants. Nonetheless, inspectors considered that the council could strike a better balance between clearance rates and the need to verify claims. Inspectors found that Leeds makes effective use of management information to manage the workload, resulting in no significant arrears of new claims. However, the report notes that the council did not renew any claims for most of 1999 as it was changing its IT system to support the implementation of VF. This created significant backlogs, contravened regulations and has potential subsidy implications for the authority. The BFI notes the council's commitment to tackling fraud but reports that the standard of fraud investigations is inadequate, with most investigations only scratching the surface. The report recommends that Leeds should improve the quality of its investigative work and develop a corporate counter fraud policy and strategy. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

360 c99W; 143659

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Council tax benefits Abuse Administrative delays Housing benefit Fraud ICT Inspections Leeds Social security benefits

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk