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Type
House
Session
Year
Department
Member
Primary member
Answering member
Legislative stage
Legislation
Subject
Publisher
Statement on what proposals she has to arrange full mutual disclosure of details of housing benefit and income support claims between the Benefits Agency and local authorities; and what consultations she has had with the Data Protection Registrar.
Statement on what proposals she has to arrange full mutual disclosure of details of housing benefit and income support claims between the Benefits Agency and local authorities; and what consultations she has had with the Data Protection Registrar.
Asked by
Rhodri Morgan
(Labour)
Answered by
Lord Bradley
(Labour)
Answering body
Department of Social Security
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
6 April 1998
For answer on
5 May 1998
Answered on
5 May 1998
Mr. Rhodri Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals she has to arrange full mutual disclosure of
details of housing benefit and income support claims between the Benefits Agency and local authorities; and what consultations she
has had with the Data Protection Registrar. [38568]
Mr. Keith Bradley: We have made clear in our Green Paper "A New Contract for Welfare" our intention to build an Active Modern
Welfare service. As part of that, our strategy for the delivery of Social Security aims to provide integrated services to meet
customers' needs, and to cut out duplication of work between different Departments, and between central and local government.
We are currently completing trials of an initiative to improve Local Authority access to Departmental benefit data, including Income
Support data, through remote access computer terminals. These give Local Authority staff on-line access to Departmental benefit
systems so that they can speedily obtain the information they require to administer Housing and Council Tax Benefits. We are now
developing plans--in conjunction with local authority associates--to make these terminals available nationally.
For the longer term, we are exploring whether, and if so how, Local Authority Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit computer
systems can be linked to the planned new generation of Departmental computer systems. The aim of such links would be to give both
Local Authorities and the Department full access to all mutually relevant Social Security data.
In addition, we are exploring the possibility of using local authority Housing Benefit records to identify pensioners whose
circumstances indicate a likely entitlement to Income Support. Once we have identified people, we will approach them to encourage a
claim.
We are also investigating new ways of working with local authorities to improve service delivery to clients, and to reduce
duplication of effort, between the Benefits Agency and local authorities, and unnecessary administration.
The Department has full regard to the requirements of data protection legislation in developing these initiatives, and consults the
Registrar as appropriate.
Subjects
Disclosure of information; Applications; Software; Housing benefit; Income support; Social security benefits; Data Protection Registrar; New Contract for Welfare
Date
5 May 1998
Reference
311 c377W; 38568
House
House of Commons