§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many special educational visits to employers were made by the Contributions Agency for the year 1 July 1992 to 30 June 1993.
§ Mr. HagueThe administration of national insurance is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive of the Contributions Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.
374WLetter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Hugh Bayley, dated 8 February 1994:
As Chief Executive of the Contributions Agency I am responsible for answering questions about relevant operational matters. I have been asked to reply to your question about how many educational visits the Agency made to employers between 1 July 1992 and 30 June 1993.The Agency makes two types of visits to employers for educational purposes—educational visits and educational surveys. An educational visit is normally undertaken at an employer's request to provide assistance and advice on any aspects of the National Insurance (NI), Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) schemes. An educational survey, in addition to providing such assistance and advice, also includes a detailed examination of the employers NI, SSP and SMP records. Educational surveys are usually initiated by the Agency and are undertaken where employers are considered, in the light of the Agency's experience, likely to be at a greater risk of making mistakes in fulfilling their NI, SSP or SMP responsibilities. They can also be undertaken in response to an employer's request.In the year between 1 July 1992 and 30 June 1993 the Agency made 2,318 educational visits and 27,569 educational surveys.