§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Benefits Agency Security and Investigation Service staff are employed in each administrative region; how many job vacancies in the Service currently exist in each region; and how many of these have existed for more than a year. [86901]
§ Mr. TimmsOperational matters are the responsibility of the Chief Executive, Peter Mathison. He will write to my right hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Frank Field, dated 17 June 1999:
296WThe Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many Benefit Agency Security and Investigation Service (BASIS) staff are employed in each administrative region; how many job vacancies in the Service currently exist in each region; and how many of these have existed for more than a year.As of today's date, BASIS staffing levels are as follows:
Northern Territory Southern Territory Complement 85 136 Current vacancies 17 50 Vacancies existing for one year 9 11 The vacancies existing for one year are part of the overall vacancies total, not in addition to it. Five of the above vacancies in the Northern Territory and thirty-one in the Southern Territory are due to the expansion of BASIS' remit.These figures do not include the Identity Fraud Management Unit which did not become part of BASIS until January 1999.I hope that this is helpful.