§ Mr. Alan HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the number of(a) adjudication officers and (b) clerical officers employed to work with the Benefits Agency medical service in each disability benefit centre. [36911]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe administration of the Benefits Agency medical services is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
712WLetter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Alan Howarth, dated 18 July 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent parliamentary questions asking if he will give the number of (a) Adjudication Officers and (b) clerical officers employed to work with the Benefits Agency Medical Service (BAMS) in each Disability Benefits Centre (DBC).The information is not available in the format requested. This is because BAMS staff, both medical and clerical, work at Medical Services Centres (MSCs), most of which are located with DBCs. In the circumstances I have interpreted your question as asking for details of BAMS staff, rather than for staff at DBCs.Adjudication Officers are not employed by BAMS, but by the Benefits Agency. Their relationship to BAMS is that of customers, for whom BAMS provides medical advice across a range of benefits.Details of the number of BAMS staff in MSCs are in the enclosed table. I should explain that the Benefits Agency no longer employs clerical officers. The present equivalent is staff in Pay Band A4.I hope you find this reply useful.
Staff in pay band A4 employed in medical services centres Medical services centre Pay band A4 Birmingham 34 Bootle 29 Bristol 19 Cardiff 27 Edinburgh 20 Glasgow 33 Leeds 12 Manchester 27 Newcastle 27 Nottingham 23 Sutton 35 Wembley 36 Figures are provisional and subject to amendment.