The following table provides the number of penalty charge notices overturned because the person was confirmed to be receiving a qualifying benefit when their prescription form was checked against Department for Work and Pensions benefit data.

Note:

Date range: the data is only available from October 2017.

As part of the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) underpayment exercise we are informing Local Authorities of any new and past awards of income-related ESA where Local Authorities have registered an interest via the relevant system, in line with our business as usual procedures.

We are in the process of developing additional guidance to support Local Authorities to consider further any possible impacts on individuals of the ESA underpayment exercise.

We are not able to make robust estimates of the numbers of cases likely to be due arrears at a local authority level. All estimates are national only.

Local authority breakdowns of numbers of cases that have been paid arrears to date could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

We are focusing our efforts on contacting all potentially affected individuals to ensure they are paid as quickly as possible.

HMRC estimates that up to 221,000 16 years may have experienced a delay in receiving their automated NINo notification letter. Anyone who has not received their National Insurance number letter and requires one, can contact HMRC’s helpline on 0300 200 3500 to arrange for one to be issued.

The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office has made no assessment on the number of suspended driving licenses based on tests by Randox Testing Services. The NPCC leads the retesting programme with assistance from the Crown Prosecution Service and others and is committed to giving regular updates.

The DWP makes around 12 million Winter Fuel payments each year.

The DWP is working hard to prevent overpayments from occurring in the first place. However, these do sometimes occur due to a claimant failing to inform DWP of a change of household composition, or that they have moved abroad. Winter Fuel staff annually undertake an extensive Data Matching exercise to identify if any overpayments have occurred, and reduce the possibility of incorrect payments.

The table below shows the volume of Winter Fuel payments that were overpaid in the last 3 financial years rounded to the nearest 100. This represents less than 0.05% of the total Winter Fuel payments made.

*The data in this response has been sourced from internal management information. It should therefore not be compared to any other similar data subsequently released by the Department.

The DWP has an obligation to ensure that public money is administered responsibly. Therefore, where permitted under Social Security legislation, the DWP seeks to recover any overpaid benefit. Where possible, the DWP will recover through on-going deductions from a claimant’s benefit.

The DWP ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect claimants who have deductions from their benefit to repay overpayments. There are maximum rates of deduction that are set out in legislation, and if a claimant is struggling they can contact the DWP’s Debt Management Team to discuss lowering their repayment rate.

The payment calculation has been examined by a panel of actuarial peers and the Equitable Members Action Group. No errors in the calculation methodology have been identified.

Whilst the Payment Scheme was in operation policyholders could check the input data received from Equitable Life that was used as the basis for their individual calculation. Where an error was found in the records Equitable Life held, a policyholder could request an independent review of their individual payment and where necessary a payment could be recalculated.

The Payment Scheme is now closed. The Payment Scheme’s final progress report set out the numbers of independent reviews conducted and this can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equitable-life-payment-scheme-final-report

It is not clear whether the questions relate to the Local Authority as the provider of housing or as the administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax. This answer therefore responds on both counts.

Local Authority as landlord:

The Local Authority use the ‘Landlord Portal’ to provide details of a claimant’s rent and tenancy details. When the information provided does not match what the claimant has given, the claimant will then be able to accept or reject the information uploaded by the Local Authority by logging into their Universal Credit account.

If the claimant accepts the information provided by the Local Authority no further action is required. If the Local Authority has provided information that is rejected by the claimant, the claimant is advised to make contact to resolve this. This could require a subsequent housing declaration to be provided. The ‘Landlord Portal’ has a summary screen that allows the Local Authority to confirm or change the information they are about to provide before it has been submitted.

This process applies whenever there is a rent change, including annual uprating of rent. The Landlord Portal is the streamlined communication tool which allows the Local Authority to disclose the rent thus highlighting errors in the claimants Universal Credit.

Local Authority as administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax:

Once a claim to Universal Credit has been made, the Local Authority will receive a notification if the claimant is in receipt of Housing Benefit. This will inform the Local Authority of the claim to Universal Credit so they can take the action to close the Housing Benefit claim where needed. The Local Authority will inform Universal Credit of the action they have taken and if there is any payment to be offset within the first assessment period.

Additionally, during the Universal Credit claim process, the claimant will be asked if their name is on the council tax bill. If the claimant answers ‘yes’, they are asked if they have applied for a reduction in their council tax. If the claimant answers that they have applied or will apply for a Council Tax Reduction, their details will be shared with the Local Authority. This is a one-way communication which allows for the Local Authority to take the appropriate action regarding an application for a Council Tax Reduction.

It is not clear whether the questions relate to the Local Authority as the provider of housing or as the administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax. This answer therefore responds on both counts.

Local Authority as landlord:

The Local Authority use the ‘Landlord Portal’ to provide details of a claimant’s rent and tenancy details. When the information provided does not match what the claimant has given, the claimant will then be able to accept or reject the information uploaded by the Local Authority by logging into their Universal Credit account.

If the claimant accepts the information provided by the Local Authority no further action is required. If the Local Authority has provided information that is rejected by the claimant, the claimant is advised to make contact to resolve this. This could require a subsequent housing declaration to be provided. The ‘Landlord Portal’ has a summary screen that allows the Local Authority to confirm or change the information they are about to provide before it has been submitted.

This process applies whenever there is a rent change, including annual uprating of rent. The Landlord Portal is the streamlined communication tool which allows the Local Authority to disclose the rent thus highlighting errors in the claimants Universal Credit.

Local Authority as administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax:

Once a claim to Universal Credit has been made, the Local Authority will receive a notification if the claimant is in receipt of Housing Benefit. This will inform the Local Authority of the claim to Universal Credit so they can take the action to close the Housing Benefit claim where needed. The Local Authority will inform Universal Credit of the action they have taken and if there is any payment to be offset within the first assessment period.

Additionally, during the Universal Credit claim process, the claimant will be asked if their name is on the council tax bill. If the claimant answers ‘yes’, they are asked if they have applied for a reduction in their council tax. If the claimant answers that they have applied or will apply for a Council Tax Reduction, their details will be shared with the Local Authority. This is a one-way communication which allows for the Local Authority to take the appropriate action regarding an application for a Council Tax Reduction.

Child Maintenance Group (CMG) have only recorded Compensation Payment details for CMS separately since 2017/18, so we are unable to identify CMS only costs prior to that financial year.

For 2017/18 and 2018/19 the CMS figures are as follows:

Child Maintenance Group (CMG) have only recorded Compensation Payment details for CMS separately since 2017/18, so we are unable to identify CMS only costs prior to that financial year.

For 2017/18 and 2018/19 the CMS figures are as follows:

However the data for the volume of consolatory payments is not routinely recorded.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is focused on paying people their correct entitlement.

Administrative errors are referred to as ‘official errors’ which have arisen from processing errors or delays by DWP or a Local Authority.

A quality checking regime is in place and this is helping address official error.

National Statistics Fraud and Error 2018/19 published 9 May 2019, indicate that estimated losses from official error account for 0.4% of total benefit expenditure.

Internal Management Information shows that 48k claimants with a CV postcode had an actual ‘official error’ overpayment in 2018/19.

The Department will be publishing an update of progress on checking cases potentially affected by underpayments of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) on conversion from previous incapacity benefits on the 16 May 2019.

This publication has been pre-announced here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/esa-underpayments-progress-on-checking

The Department will be publishing an update of progress on checking cases potentially affected by underpayments of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) on conversion from previous incapacity benefits on the 16 May 2019.

This publication has been pre-announced here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/esa-underpayments-progress-on-checking

The Department has been working closely with HMRC since Universal Credit went live in 2014, to support and inform employers who report earnings to emphasise the importance of timely reporting on a Universal Credit payment.

HMRC have recently updated their guidance to reiterate to employers the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles.

Guidance on payment cycles and their interaction with Universal Credit for claimants is available online through the GOV.UK pages on Universal Credit and on the DWP “Understanding Universal Credit” pages.

The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The Department only collects data which determines benefit entitlement or which contributes to the good management of a claim.