§ 29. Mr. CouchmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is being done to speed up the service to social security claimants.
§ Mr. Peter LloydI am pleased to say that the social security reforms, introduced in April, have produced a benefits system which is easier for claimants to understand and for staff to administer. As a result income support claims are, on average, being processed in five days as compared with six last year and national error rates have fallen from 11.5 per cent. to 9.7 per cent. We expect to be able to improve further in these areas.
In addition some claims processing work is to be relocated away from some London offices where staff recruitment and turnover seriously affect performance standards. These measures plus proposals for a new staff complementing system which directly relates staffing needs to required levels of performance will make a significant impact on standards in local offices with particular problems.
In the longer term the computerisation of social security operations which begins in 1989 will make a major contribution to permanent improvements in the speed and accuracy of benefit payments.