HL Deb 14 January 1986 vol 469 c1062WA
Baroness Turner of Camden

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to ease the situation which has arisen in many DHSS offices because of low staffing levels and inadequate training for staff whose task it is to deal with claimants.

Baroness Trumpington

The staffing of local offices of the DHSS is in accordance with an agreed complementing system and, within the framework of that system, a review of staffing levels is being undertaken at present which will reveal any discrepancy between staff and workloads. The department has also received a claim from the trade unions for a substantial increase in staff, which is under consideration.

Comprehensive training programmes are arranged for all new entrant clerical and executive officers, consisting of an initial training period of 13 or 19 weeks respectively, followed by a period of close supervision and extra training as required. The department has a large training organisation working in close partnership with the management of its local offices.