§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list those measures he proposed to take to improve efficiency and simplify procedures in social security administration; how much these measures will save; and what the reduction in manpower will be.
§ Mrs. ChalkerWe look to a general improvement in efficiency for savings of the equivalent of 800 posts—3.6 million by April 1983. These savings will come from such things as staff suggestions, management service studies, economy in the use of services and so on. Our experience with similar efficiency drives in the past suggests this is a reasonable target. In addition, there are two specific procedural changes, which together I expect to produce savings of 550 posts over the period 1980–81 and 1981–82. These are (i) an improvement of existing arrangements for paying supplementary benefit in advance of unemployment benefit which are expensive both in staff and administrative costs and (ii) the cessation of postal inquiries relating 755W to changes in the circumstances of people receiving supplementary benefit. This form of inquiry has already been suspended in this financial year and no serious problems have arisen.