n BACK in March 2001, the Government acknowledged that there were 81 million National Insurance Numbers in circulation for a population of 61 million in the UK. This means there are some 20 million bogus numbers.
In 2001, the Government scrapped the Data Cleaning Project designed to remove bogus National Insurance Numbers.
On Question Time (BBC 1, Thursday, September 25) Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt acknowledged that David Blunkett couldn't be expected to know how many bogus asylum seekers there were in the UK when there were some 19 million bogus National Insurance Numbers in circulation.
These bogus NIS numbers are costing many millions of pounds a year. Can any Government Minister and their department, which allows this to continue, be taken seriously?
BRIAN HUNT, Worcester.
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