§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what lessons he has drawn from the ONE pilots about the administration of housing benefit and council tax benefit; and what new guidance to local authorities is being proposed. [12941]
§ Malcolm WicksThe ONE evaluation did not focus on the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. This would have been impractical as there are wide variations in practices among local authorities in ONE pilot and control areas. However, research from the ONE pilots did show improvements to customer service arising from working in close partnership with local authorities. These partnerships will be a key requirement of Jobcentre Plus, and we will be discussing with local authorities how we can jointly guide and support our staff to deliver a cohesive, responsive service to our customers.