Clause 4 - Arrangements for payments in respect of information
Social Security Fraud Bill [Lords]
11:15 am
Mr Jeff Rooker (Minister of State, Department of Social Security; Birmingham, Perry Barr, Labour)
I will deal first with the hon. Lady's point about the difference between the figures in the Commons and the Lords regulatory impact assessments. The figures were changed from £2.3 million to £7 million to £2.5 million to £7.6 million by Lords amendments. In other words, the Bill changed when it left the Lords; clause 1 was amended, and proposed new subsection (2C)(c) was removed, which was the last part that could be construed as involving fishing.
We will pay credit reference agencies because they are in the business of selling information. That is fair; it would wholly unreasonable for the Government not to do that. We will also pay utilities when they supply information in bulk, because they will incur extra costs in doing so, but not when we make a personal inquiry about an individual, which we are entitled to do under clause 1. Hon. Members must appreciate that the utilities will be contacted in two different ways. There will be the bulk transfer of information on abnormally low usage based on addresses, and, as with banks, we will have the power to ask the utilities about individuals—how they pay their bills, for example. We will also pay telecommunications companies, because they have put in place special technology to meet Government requirements, such as the reverse searching of telephone directories. Other than that, organisations will not be paid; indeed, the Inland Revenue and Companies House are not paid now for supplying information to the Government or the Information Commissioner.