§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what checks his Department makes to ensure that unemployment benefit Girocheques are sent out in the correct mailbag and correct trains from Reading on Fridays.
§ Mr. GummerGirobank cheques for unemployed people are produced by the Department of Health and Social Security's computer centre at Reading. The cheques are pre-sorted according to postal codes and those for more distant or difficult destinations are produced first. Cheques are passed immediately to the Post Office which has a permanent presence at the computer centre and who are then responsible for delivery by first-class post.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment why Mr. Kevin Staley, of 5 Cheriot Court, 490W Carlton in Lindrick, Worksop, did not receive his unemployment benefit Girocheque on time on Saturday 5 February.
§ Mr. GummerThe Post Office mailbag containing girobank cheques which should normally have been delivered on Saturday 5 February did not reach Worksop until Monday 7 February. Mr. Staley's cheque was among those delayed.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many complaints there have been in the past three months at the Worksop employment office about the late arrival of Girocheques.
§ Mr. GummerPrecise figures are not available. The Worksop unemployment benefit office received a number of complaints when mail arrived too late at the local post office for delivery of girobank cheques on 10 December, 8 January and 5 February.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment why applicants signing on for benefit in Worksop on Thursdays cannot be transferred to a day earlier in the week, in view of the difficulties such people experience in receiving their Girocheques on time the following Saturday.
§ Mr. GummerAs the hon. Member knows we accept that Thursday signing ought ideally to be avoided. Regrettably, this is not possible when the numbers of claimants required to sign on cannot be contained within earlier weekdays. During the last few weeks the Worksop unemployment benefit office has transferred a significant amount of work to the Retford office. This may provide scope for reducing Thursday signing at Worksop. The most straightforward solution would be for the Post Office to ensure prompt delivery of first-class mail.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations his Department has received from the ombudsman following a complaint in early January about the non-arrival of unemployment benefit Girocheques in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.
§ Mr. GummerTo date my Department has not received any representation from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration about non-arrival of girobank cheques in Worksop.
§ Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were notified to the Reading computer centre as being eligible for unemployment benefit by the Worksop office of his Department on Thursday 3 February; how many Girocheques were sent out on Friday 4 February to pay these people; and at what time they were posted.
§ Mr. GummerFigures for notifications to the computer centre do not distinguish between those eligible for payment of unemployment benefit, those due for supplementary benefit and those who are not entitled to any payment. On 3 February the Worksop office put in details of 380 unemployed people who signed on that day. 369 people were entitled to some payment and all the appropriate cheques were passed to the Post Office at 9.49 am on 4 February.