§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he is satisfied that there are sufficient staff in his Kirkby office to carry out home visits in a reasonable time;
(2) if he will ensure that a wait of four weeks for a home visit from one of his officers to a claimant is reduced immediately and substantially;
(3) what steps he is taking to improve the services to claimants provided by his Kirkby office.
§ Mr. NewtonThe complement of staff allocated to Kirkby office for the year April 1984–85 is 155; the actual staff in post at 1 July 1984 was 167. I am therefore satisfied that there are sufficient staff to carry out home visits.
The backlog of visits is due to an increase in claims for single payments. Visits such as those involving a claim to benefit are carried out within a week and in cases of urgency, an immediate visit can be arranged. Local management are making every effort to provide a satisfactory service to claimants and, in particular, to keep waiting times for home visits to a minimum.